Welcome to the Academy
by Vissarion
Summary: (Modern AU, high school, in progress) Eren is a fifteen year old boy who is about to start ninth grade in the prestigious high school of Sina Academy. With his friends, old and new, and a half-Asian transfer student, he sets out to discover the mysteries behind the school and to fulfill the goals of the Survey Club. Contains Eremika, conflict, and humor.
1. First Day

**Modern Era**

"Eren! Time to wake up, lazy boy! It's your first day of high school and I am **not** letting you make a bad impression on your teachers!"

"But mom! Can't I sleep for just a few more minutes?"

"No 'buts', mister! Get down here!"

Fifteen year old Eren Jaeger lazily got up from his bed, yawning and scratching his head. For him, today was not a typical day. It was _the_ day. He was to start ninth grade as a freshman at the Sina Academy. A prestigious and notable high school, Sina Academy hosted a wide, diverse student body of various different groups of people. Eren found himself as one of them.

Still half-sleep, Eren walked into the bathroom down the hall and took a long look at himself in the mirror. In the reflection appeared a teenage boy of average height, with deep brown hair and piercing teal-green eyes that defined Eren's appearance. But what also defined Eren's appearance were his constant moments of anger and frustration.

Eren, after having brushed his teeth and put on a smile, slipped on his clothing and made his way downstairs. There, he found his mother and father in the kitchen, the latter sitting at a table reading a newspaper and the former cooking up some breakfast.

"There you are, you little rascal. I told you to sleep early last night, but since you didn't, you're almost late for school!" exclaimed Carla, Eren's mother.

"Mom, I did sleep early last night! I only slept at 12:30 AM this time. And I'm not even that late yet."

Eren sat down at the table, across from his father, Grisha Jaeger. Shortly afterwards, Carla placed in front of Eren a plate of eggs, toast, and a grapefruit.

"Really, Mom? I wanted cereal, not this grown-up stuff."

"Eren. You are fifteen years old. You need nutrition so you can stay healthy when you're at an essential growing age like this. Eat and stop complaining!"

"Fine, fine, whatever."

Eren grumbled and chewed his food. Grisha turned a newspaper page, then set the paper down entirely. He looked at Eren, smiling.

"I'm proud of you, son," said Grisha, "It makes me happy that my boy is growing up so fast. It feels like it was yesterday when you first went to elementary school. Look at you, a young, handsome teenage boy. Ready to find some girls, hm?" Grisha chuckled.

"Huh? What's that mean? I see girls everyday."

"Grisha! Don't talk like that around Eren. You'll only give him wrong ideas!" interrupted Carla.

"Carla, Carla, Carla. Our son has to learn about the world some time," said Grisha, looking at his watch, "But anyways, I have to go to work. Farewell, Carla, and good luck, Eren."

Grisha got up and kissed Carla on the cheek, and then gave Eren a warm hug. He put on his hat and went out the door. As Eren and Carla waved him goodbye, the mother started tapping her feet.

"Speaking of going to work, Eren Jaeger. You still have to go to school!"

"Sheesh, no need to shout, Mom. I'll be going."

Eren grabbed his backpack next to the living room couch and walked to the already-open door, putting on his sneakers. He turned around, waving to his mother a silent goodbye. His mother simply nodded in return. She was somewhat annoyed, but at the same time, a proud mother. Shutting the door behind him, Eren took a step into the outside world.

 _Sina Academy, here I come!_

Upon taking the second step outside, he tripped and fell over. Eren forgot to tie his shoes again.

* * *

Eren strolled along the busy sidewalks of his hometown, Shiganshina. All around him, commuters began their drive to work, store owners opened their businesses, and lawn sprinklers sprayed water on the yards of people's homes. It was a busy Monday for adults as well as children.

As he turned a corner, he met a familiar face walking to the same destination.

"Hey, Armin!"

The boy turned around to the familiar voice and grinned upon noticing who it was. Eren ran up to Armin's side, and the two rejoiced. Armin Arlert was Eren's best friend ever since they were small children, and possibly his only friend, the feeling going both ways. Unlike his best friend, Armin was... not as outspoken about his beliefs. He was small and slim for a boy his age, and his blonde coconut-shaped hairstyle as well as his soft blue eyes made Armin seem younger than he actually was.

At a glance, Armin seemed almost the complete opposite of Eren. Also at a glance, Armin could be mistaken for a girl.

"Eren! It's so good to see you! I was getting lonely walking by myself."

"Good to see you, too, Armin. Funny, you usually get picked on by bullies when you go out alone."

"I know! This has been a great first day of high school so far! It's not so bad when you actually face things yourself, Eren. And now that you're here, we can go conquer Sina Academy together!"

"Oi, Armin, let me see your schedule first. I hope we get classes together. Or at least the same lunch period."

The two exchanged their respective school schedules, and they both celebrated in glee.

"This is awesome! We get the same homeroom, same second period, and same eighth period. And the same lunchtime, too!" exclaimed Eren.

The boys high-fived each other and laughed. Sina Academy operated an eight-period daily school schedule, and there were four different lunch periods each in-between different classes. Occasionally, the schedule would change due to early dismissals, late school startings, or other events that would interrupt the classes.

The architects who designed Sina Academy also constructed a large, circular red brick wall that comprised perimeter of the school campus. The circular wall seemed to stretch endlessly, giving way to a large campus area within. Being a famous school, it stood to make its appearance notable by also building its entrance with brick, along with a carving of the coat-of-arms of the Sina Family.

Before Eren and Armin knew it, they finally reached the tall gates of Sina Academy.

* * *

The hallways of Sina Academy tended to be vast and maze-like. The buildings themselves were also quite large, situated in the center of the circle formed by the wall. They were arranged in a way so that the main building (also the tallest) was in the absolute center, facing the gate. It would be the first thing that students see walking in, as well as the statue of Lady Sina in the central courtyard.

Armin and Eren arrived at their homeroom class right on time. By the time they arrived there, most of the other students had already been seated.

"Wow, Eren! This is it! I hope we get to sit next to each other."

"Me, too, Armin. Let's go inside."

The two walked in, and an adult standing in front of a desk with a clipboard turned to look towards them. The teacher did not hesitate to go straight to business.

"What's your name, son?" asked the instructor to Eren.

"Eren Jaeger."

Upon hearing this name, some of the students in the class raised their heads.

"All right, Eren Jaeger. You're seated over... _there_ ," said the teacher, pointing to a pair of two empty desks in the middle of the classroom, one of which belonged to Eren. He promptly sat down, leaned back, and relaxed. _This ain't so bad,_ Eren thought, _I get to sit next to Armin, too. This is sweet._

"What's your name, miss?"

"M-my name is Armin Arlert, sir. I'm a boy."

"My apologies, Armin. You get to sit over there, waaaay in the back."

Instead of sitting next to Eren, Armin was assigned to the rear of the classroom. Armin gulped and walked down the aisle. His concerned eyes met Eren's horrified eyes as he moved past him. Their luck just ran out. As Armin sat down, a tall, muscular boy sitting in the neighboring desk spoke to him.

"So... you're Armeen, right?"

"Y-yes, that's me. But it's pronounced-"

"'Sup. My name's Reiner. I was thinking. Are you single by any chance?"

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Meanwhile, Eren sat at his desk, already bored due to a lack of Armin by his side. He fiddled with a pencil, and let it fall on the ground. He sighed. As the students around him chatted away, he stayed silent, like in a world of isolation. That world was about to crumble.

"Psst. You're Eren Jaeger, right?"

Eren looked in the corner of the eyes without shifting his head. A boy sitting behind him leaned forward and looked closely at Eren.

"Yeah. Why?"

The boy and his friend next to him suddenly burst into a fit of laughter.

"Oh, dude. You're that guy from last year! Oh, man, that was hilarious!" the other boy spoke up.

"What are you people on about?"

"What, you don't remember that time when Hoss pulled that sick wedgie on you?"

"Or when Mr. Sukiyaki caught you sleeping and banged on your desk and woke you up so hard you jumped out of your chair?"

The boys laughed once more, reminiscing about their fun memories. Well, fun for them.

"Eren, you were a trainwreck in middle school. Can't wait to see you this year and what kind of comedy gold you're putting out this time!"

"Shut up!"

They then kept to themselves, still whispering and murmuring among themselves. _This is gonna be a long year._

"Hey. That's not very nice of you." This came from a different voice, and even Eren turned to see who it was. A somewhat tall boy with brown undercut hair, a suit vest, and a horseface stood next to the duo.

"Yeah? What's your problem, man? We're just having fun."

"What's _your_ problem? Give this guy a break. Or maybe you can go have fun in the principal's office on the **first day of school!** "

The two rowdy kids shut themselves up. The horse's threats seemed to work. Satisfied, he looked at Eren and nodded.

"No need to thank me for that. I just don't like it when _other_ people are being douchebags. My name's Jean, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, then, Jean. I'm Eren. I'm sure you've already heard my name and what goes with it."

"I don't really care what you did in the past, Jaeger boy. Treat me fine, I'll treat you fine. Got it?"

"Sounds like my kind of thinking!"

Jean and Eren shook hands. Finally, Eren gained an opportunity to make new friends in Sina Academy. He even met someone whose character traits seemed quite honest and straightforward. Sina Academy always was a place with many different types of people, and Eren hoped to build a lasting and strong friendship with this horsefaced Jean person.

For Eren, the first day did not seem bad after all.


	2. Transfer Student

Evening time arrived in the cozy town of Shiganshina. Students from the Sina Academy settled into their homes after their first day of school, exhausted or sometimes even satisfied with the events of the day. Of course, this was not the case for a certain ninth grade student...

"Eren Jaeger! What have you gotten yourself into this time?!"

"Mom! For the last time, I didn't start it! It was those older kids, Mom! I swear!"

Eren found himself in a heap of trouble with his parents. Earlier, as he was returning from school, he became involved in a heated argument between him (and Armin) and students of a higher grade than Eren. Let's just say it ended ugly, thanks to Eren's lust for fighting.

Eren rubbed his hand gently on a bump on his head, a casualty from the brawl. He sat on his living room couch, with his protective mother Carla next to him, helping to nurse his wounds. Grisha sat on his personal sofa across from the two, seemingly not paying attention.

"I am **very** disappointed in you, young man! Look at yourself! You already got into a fight on your first day of school!" Carla scolded to her son.

"I said, Mom, that it wasn't my fault! And besides, it didn't even happen in school. It was actually on the street!"

"That doesn't matter, Eren! You hurt yourself again and others around you! That poor Arlert boy must be writhing in pain by now!"

"I helped him escape, Mom! Stop worrying, you-"

Grisha suddenly cleared his throat, causing both of them to stop in silence. He put down his book and blinked at Eren.

"Son," said Grisha, "Why would you choose to fight those boys instead of apologizing or backing down?"

"Dad," Eren said, pausing for a moment, "They started it. I had to fight them. They were monsters. Monsters with cold hearts and cruel words!"

"Even so, Eren! You are lucky that you managed to survive. You are fortunate that you received only a few bruises. The type of activities you do are only risky and likely to cause you more harm."

"Dad... I just wanted to protect myself and Armin..."

Eren buried his head in the palms of his hands. Grisha stood up, walked over in front of Eren, and calmly knelt down so that his face met Eren's. In a gesture of fatherly guidance, the bespectacled doctor placed his hand on Eren's shoulder for reassurance.

"Eren," Grisha said, "You have to learn to make more friends in school. This is why you currently have only one. Compassion and kindness are what build relationships, son. I hope you learnt a valuable lesson today."

Eren looked up, and with a sudden movement, hugged his father, saying, "I'm sorry, Dad." Grisha, at first taken by surprise, smiled and hugged back. Meanwhile, the television in the background indicated a severe chance of a rain tomorrow afternoon.

* * *

The second day of high school in Sina Academy had arrived. Compared to the warm and sunny feeling of the first day, the second day felt cold and dark, a reflection of the noticable change in students' moods in the transition from summer to school. Eren sat in homeroom class, watching the darkening clouds.

 _Remember what Dad said. I have to be nice to my peers. I have to be nice._

His fellow students around him misbehaved and talked, while the quiet and collected teacher, Mr. Krause, stood at the front of the classroom, reading off a clipboard. Overall, the classroom atmosphere was chaotic. Eren still kept thinking to himself in the midst of all this, placing his feet on the empty chair next to him.

 _Look at these people... It'll be hard to try to make friends with them. No, no, no. Dad said to be nice. There's like 30 kids in here, and I at least know Armin and Jean. Armin tells me that Reiner and Bertolt are good guys. Especially Reiner, who is super nice to Armin for some reason. Maybe Armin's just charming. Heh, heh. Charmin Armin._

Eren's inner thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the clanking of a bell by Mr. Krause. His voice alone was insufficient to gain the attention of the distracted students. He cleared his throat and brought his clipboard close to his face.

"Okay, boys and girls. A new student is coming to our class."

The classroom front door creaked open. The new student stepped inside and stood next to Mr. Krause, facing the entire class but looked down to the floor.

"Her name is... Mikasa? Mikasa Ackerman. Did I pronounce that right?"

The new student nodded.

"Good. Mikasa is a transfer student from... Japan. She is new here, so I'd like you all to treat her nice."

Mikasa Ackerman was a girl unlike anyone Eren had ever seen before. That is, she was of East Asian descent. Her hair was black, her eyes dark and calm, her skin pale, her height the same as Eren's. Her outfit comprised of a simple long-sleeved shirt and jeans.

Krause pointed to the empty seat next to Eren, whose feet rested on the very same seat.

"That's where you sit, Mikasa. Next to Eren."

Eren, quickly realizing his mistake, took his legs off and tried to brush the chair off with his hand. In the middle of doing so, Mikasa had already arrived, watching silently as Eren cleaned up after himself.

"Oh, hey, uh..." Eren said, trying to explain himself. Words started to echo in his head once more. _Treat her nice._

"I'm really sorry, Mikasa," Eren corrected himself, "I didn't think you'd be taking this seat. I was trying to clean off the mess I made. I'm sorry." He scratched the back of his head. Mikasa still said nothing and sat down after Eren's apology.

 _I screwed up, didn't I?_ thought Eren, believing Mikasa's silence to be a form of contempt. The boy sighed and tried once more to show the girl kindness.

"Well, Mikasa. We really got off on the wrong foot. I'll introduce myself. My name is Eren, Eren Jaeger. Nice to meet you. Wait, you probably already know my name by now. Uh, so... nice to meet you? No, I already said that. Shoot."

Mikasa giggled slightly. And yet, this action was the first time Mikasa had ever shown any hint of emotion ever since she entered the classroom. Eren was shocked. The boys who were staring at Mikasa also seemed shocked.

"Nice to meet you, Eren," Mikasa responded as her first words.

Eren was about to speak when a voice behind them interrupted their conversation. A distinct neigh of a horse.

"Smooth moves, Jaeger boy. Smooth moves."

Eren turned around and met the face of Jean, his companion from Day One. Jean appeared agitated and troubled, his left eye twitching.

"Huh? What do you mean, Jean?" asked Eren.

"This, Eren, is exactly what I mean. You're too dense to ever deserve someone like that. She's out of your league, Eren. Leave it to me."

"What? Leave it to you? But I'm just trying to sharpen my social skills."

"Shut up, moron. She's mine. Not your's."

"What?! Are you saying that you own her? What's wrong with you, Jean? That's something a slave driver would say!"

"Hmph. That's it, you Casanova wannabe!"

Jean stood up, ready to fight. Eren knew he could not back down from this one, and stood up as well, ready to throw punches. The two boys approached each other in threatening poses, waiting for the other to deliver the first strike. Mikasa silently watched, curious. The standoff only lasted a few seconds.

"Jean and Eren, please sit in your assigned seats. Homeroom period is over, and we're about to start class. If you want to use the restroom, just tell me and I'll sign you guys out one at a time," Mr. Krause interrupted.

Eren turned back towards Jean. "Hey. Sorry."

Jean scoffed and went back. Eren did the same.

* * *

Lunch period started. Eren and his best friend Armin walked to the cafeteria together whilst discussing how school went for both of them so far.

"Oi, Armin. So there's this new girl in my class, right? She's a transfer student all the way from Japan! Her name's Mikasa. I've never met a Japanese person before. It's so cool. And a perfect opportunity for me to make a new friend. That's what Dad told me to do, ever since... you know, yesterday?"

"Yeah. Speaking of which, Eren, I'm afraid I can't walk with you home today."

"What? Why?"

"Well, yesterday, after I ran away to my house, my parents confronted me, I told them everything, and they grounded me. And they also told me not to hang around you after school for a while."

"That sucks, Armin. I hope they reconsider."

The two boys entered the lunchroom. There, they saw that, as usual, the tables were mostly packed with people already. But since Armin and Eren considered themselves outsiders, they chose their usual lunch table as the one in the far back corner, secluded from everyone else. But once they arrived there, they saw a lone person already sat there. Mikasa Ackerman.

While Mikasa Ackerman sat alone, the boys from the tables around her kept calling her name and waving at her, obviously to get her attention. She ignored them and stared at her lunch, consisting of only a small bowl of rice. Some of the male students even attempted to sit near her, but they quickly returned to their tables, scared off by Mikasa's silent, cold glares at them.

Eren and Armin stepped closer, and when Mikasa looked up, her first reaction was yet another deadly stare and a frown. But when she realized who it was, Mikasa calmed herself and broke into a subtle but welcoming smile.

"Hey, Mikasa. Mind if we sit here?" asked Eren.

She did not respond immediately, but nodded no. Eren shrugged and went to sit down next Mikasa, and Armin went to sit down next to Eren, the trio forming a row.

"So, Mikasa, I don't think you've met my friend Armin here. Say hi, Armin."

"Hi," said Armin.

"Did you know, Armin, that Mikasa and I have so many classes together? We have, like, five together, even this lunch period. I get to see an awesome girl so many times."

Mikasa turned her head low, trying to hide her embarassment from the others. Her mouth opened to speak, but out came nothing. Her stomach grumbled.

"Lucky! I wish I get to see you in my classes, too. Can you imagine how awkward it is just being around all these new kids?"

Eren, with an aura of confidence and courage, placed his hand on Armin's hand for reassurance.

"Hey, Armin. You shouldn't treat everyone you meet as total strangers."

"H-huh?"

"I know for a fact that you can't go anywhere in life just being all lonely and by yourself all the time. Remember yesterday? I was being stupid by getting all angry. But just being compassionate and kind will solve everything. Trust me on this, Armin," Eren said, winking and smiling.

"Coming from you, Eren... Thanks. I'll try."

Mikasa continued staying quiet, but had a difficult time doing so. In her mind, words were being formed for her to say. But unlike Eren, she lacked the courage. She wiped her eye and turned back toward her lunch, which was only a meager portion. Mikasa's stomach grumbled again. She picked up a teaspoon she packed with her to scoop up some rice, when the reassuring voice directed itself to Mikasa this time.

"Hey, Mikasa," Eren interrupted, pointing at the tiny bowl of rice, "Is that your lunch?"

She turned towards him and nodded.

"Say, that doesn't look like that much. Maybe Japanese people just don't eat as much. No, wait, that's a bad thing to say. Sorry. But, uh... I think that's a pretty small lunch you got." After saying this, Eren gave Mikasa half of his beef jerky pieces his mother had packed for lunch. He paused for a moment, then gave her the other half, giving up a large portion of his own lunch. Mikasa took the food from Eren's hand and stared at it, astonished.

"Wait, did I offend you? I'm sorry if I did, Mikasa. I'm just not exposed to Japanese culture, you know. Here, in this country, we eat lots of beef. It's pretty yummy, too, and-"

"No."

Mikasa set the beef jerky down. She looked straight into Eren's eyes, smiling in appreciation. Her lips readied to speak, while Eren and Armin looked surprised at her sudden outburst.

"I-it's okay," she continued, "Thank you for this. Thank you, Eren."

Eren grinned back. Mikasa went on to eat all of the food Eren had given her entirely. Not only because of hunger, but also as thanks.


	3. Survey Club

The bell sounded, ending the second day of school. The students of Sina Academy collectively breathed a sigh of relief, for they, too, were about done for the day. Eren, who waited patiently in his last class of the day, cheered as the announcements came on to indicate the end of the day. He picked up his backpack and excitedly ran downstairs and out the exit.

Students poured out from every building on the campus, except for the few staff/administrative buildings, of course. Eren sat on a bench next to the fountain in the central courtyard. He saw Armin maneuvering through a crowd of students, and waved at him. The other boy noticed and came over.

"Hey, Armin," greeted Eren, somewhat disappointed, "Looks like we have to go our separate ways for today, huh?"

"Yeah, about that, Eren. My mom's coming to pick me up in her car. She called me and said she didn't want me to get wet."

"That means we can't even sneakily walk together home! How unfair."

"I know! Maybe we could hang out tomorrow. But it looks like I have to go. See you, Eren."

Armin waved a goodbye to his best friend and walked away, disappearing into the crowd of exiting students. Eren sighed and rested his palm on his forehead, deciding what to do. The bench somewhat shook, and he suddenly felt the presence of someone else sitting next to him. He shifted his finger to allow one eye to allow one eye to see, and his pupil rested on Mikasa Ackerman.

"What is it, Mikasa?" asked Eren, his hand still obscuring his sight.

"Eren," the girl whispered back softly, "Let's go home together."

Taken by surprise, Eren lifted his hand off and blinked at Mikasa, whose face showed no emotion. "What?"

"I want to walk home with you."

"I don't even know where you live, Mikasa. And we only just met."

"You're my only friend so far. I will show you. Come with me."

Mikasa, with amazing strength, grabbed Eren's arm and pulled him off the bench. She dragged him along to the gate of Sina Academy. All the while, students stared at the two of them, astonished and amused. Eren sheepishly laughed and looked away from everyone's faces as they moved. But when Eren and Mikasa reached outside of the wall, a small group of boys stood in their way.

"Oi, Eren," called out one boy, who appeared to be their leader, "We still got a score to settle from yesterday. You ready to apologize and take back what you said, or are you gonna get another whooping while your stupid girlfriend watches?"

"Pardon," replied Mikasa, her voice turning bitter, "I am not stupid. You are threatening Eren and you are in our way. I suggest you leave."

"Oh, yeah? What're you gonna do about it, girly? C'mon, boys! Let's teach them both some manners."

* * *

"Geez, Mikasa," said Eren, in total shock, "Was that really necessary?"

"Yes. They wasted our time."

They continued walking off, with no visible injuries or fatigue. Behind them laid a scattered group of boys, all of them moaning in pain. Mikasa brushed her hands as if to clean them. After a while, when they were enough distance from Sina Academy and far enough into downtown, Mikasa let go of Eren's wrist. He immediately grasped it and rubbed it.

"Ow. You held me really tight."

"Sorry, Eren."

"Nah, it's fine. Just lead me on."

Soon enough, the first raindrops began to fell. At first, occasionally, but then, a soft downpour. Eren instinctively took out his umbrella from his backpack, but saw that Mikasa did not bring anything herself. Wet droplets fell on her black hair.

"Hey," said Eren, opening his umbrella, "You don't have an umbrella?"

"No."

Eren, saying nothing, walked closer to Mikasa so that the umbrella covered both of them. By now, they stood side-by-side underneath a crimson canopy, rain splattering on the ground around them. They continued in silence, the only noise coming from the rain.

"Mikasa," Eren spoke up, "I've wondered. You came here all quiet and lonely, but since you started getting more talkative, I've wondered. Were you always like this? Not to get personal or anything, but..."

"No. Before I moved here, before I met you, I was like any other girl. I was young, and careless."

"W-what happened?"

Mikasa breathed in through her nostrils, and breathed out.

"My parents died."

"Oh... I'm sorry th-"

"No, my parents were killed... They came one day to our home. Dad tried to fight. He perished. Mom tried to fight. She perished. She told me to run. I could not do anything. I hided and avoided them. The police came hours later. My uncle found me and took me in."

"Mikasa, it's okay, you don't need to tell me everything," said Eren, concerned.

"I _will_ tell you. My uncle and aunt worked hard. They tried to take care of me, another mouth to feed in their impoverished family. They felt pity, they saw that I was alone, that I hated my life as it was. They took most of their money to send me here, to get an education, to find hope. I was still alone when I came here... until I found you, Eren."

"Well, thanks for that, but why would you just explain your life story to me that quickly? I mean, I'm just someone you met today. Pretty weird to open up like that."

"I already said it myself, Eren. You're my only friend right now, and you're the only boy I can trust. No one else has been there for me to let out my feelings, aside from you... and my diary."

Eren shrugged and turned his attention to his path. For whatever reason, his surroundings and environment seemed vaguely familiar. Before he knew it, he arrived at Mikasa's home.

"We're here, Eren," said Mikasa, pointing to a cheap-looking apartment building.

"Whuh? You live here?"

"I thought you realized by now that my financial situation is rather bleak."

"No, not that. You live here, in Shiganshina? That means you're me and Armin's neighbor! I live a few blocks away."

" _*gasp_ _*_ That gives us more time to spend together."

"... right. I'll be going home myself, then. See you, Mikasa."

"Wait, Eren. Don't you want to hang out with me... in my home?"

"Nah, not today. Maybe on Friday. I've gotta make sure my mom isn't worried that I'm a little late. Bye!"

The rain had stopped by then, and sunlight flowed through gaps in the clouds. Eren shortened his umbrella and waved at Mikasa before running off. She stared after him as he left, memorizing a single thought in her mind: _Friday_.

* * *

Friday did arrive. The last day of the first week of school. For many students, it was a moment of relief. For Mikasa...

"Let's go, Eren," bluntly stated Mikasa, pushing Eren along. Lunchtime began, and Eren, Armin, and Mikasa headed to the cafeteria.

"You know I can walk on my own, right?" replied Eren, annoyed.

"Yes."

She continued to force him. But when they reached the cafeteria entrance, they found a foldable table positioned at the front, draped in green cloth. A short, bored-looking man with dark undercut hair and cold grey eyes sat on one end of the table, while a bespectacled woman with brown hair tied in a ponytail and cheerful brown eyes sat on the other. A poster behind them featured an insignia with two wings (one blue and one white), and underneath lay text that read, "Freedom".

Eren gasped in an almost girly voice. He quickly broke free from Mikasa's grasp and ran up to the desk. He jumped up and down in glee, much to the annoyance of the short man sitting in front of him.

"All right, that's it," said the midget, "Kid, I thought we already made it clear that we're not a soup kitchen. We are _not_ giving you any free meals."

" _*gasp*_ He... he spoke to me!" replied Eren, sweating, "Um... are you guys, by any chance, the Survey Club?"

"'Survey Club'? Hange, tell me what the hell this idiot's talking abo- Oh. Yeah, that's us, kiddo. Normally, I call this place the Recon Club."

"Really?" spoke up the woman in glasses, "I got it incorrect this whole time! I always thought we were the Scouting Club. Gosh, how humilitating!"

Eren stared at them like a puppy wagging its tail, his eyes fixated on the Survey Club members. The short man propped his legs up on the desk and leaned back in his chair.

"So, twerp. Why're you here again?" asked the man.

"Well, isn't this a recruitment desk?" responded Eren, confused.

"Recruitment... Ah, right. I forgot. There's been so few morons that actually signed up that I can't even remember why we're here in the first place."

"Levi!" said Hange, "Don't say that around the students! Let me handle this. You're way out of touch with kids these days."

"And you aren't? Fine, have it your way. Gives me more time to think about the meaning of life and the universe."

"So, anyways," said Hange, turning to Eren, "I see you want to join the Survey Club, hm? Looks like you already know a good deal about us. No one has ever come up to us without asking what the Survey Club is. Because... you know, we're kinda a small club."

"Yes, yes! I want to join, I want to join!"

"However, in accordance with school policy and the law, we still have to inform the students about the club itself anyways. Otherwise, we'd get _so_ many lawsuits. The Survey Club is an international organization with divisions in the United States, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Germany. Our local branch has a headquarters in Sina Academy (which is right here!) along with operations in its sister high schools, Maria Academy and Rose Academy. Our division leader is none other than Erwin Smith. We strive to perform community service that includes numerous ways to help society, such as helping conduct research, distribute food, blah blah blah, and all that mumbo jumbo. So you go on lots of field trips, but-"

"Christ's sake, Hange. Just get to the point, you're already scaring the kids," interrupted Levi, covering his ears.

"Sheesh. Woke up on the wrong side of bed today, hm, Levi? Anyways, besides that, looks like we're ready to sign you guys up. You're Eren and you're Mikasa, correct?" She glanced at Armin. "And you... you're Krista?"

"No, that's Armin. And how do you know me and Mikasa's names?" asked a startled Eren.

"Don't be silly! You two are the talk of the school. I've never seen something so heartwarming and just straight-up adorable. Gosh, reminds me of when I was young and happy."

"What?! Why?! Probably because of those guys Mikasa beat up, huh? What the heck, Mikasa?!"

"I believe it's because of our _friendship_ ," replied Mikasa.

"B-b-but how do you adults know our names?"

"Kid," spoke up Levi, "You do _not_ want to know what kind of talks go on in the teacher's lounge. I bet you'd cry yourself to tears."

"Huh. Now I know why you haven't gotten any new recruits. It's because of Mr. Snarker here!" Eren complained, pointing at Levi.

"His name's not Mr. Snarker. His name's Mr. Ackerman, and he's the janitor," joked Hange.

"Me? A janitor? I take that as a compliment. However, that is not my fulltime job. I also teach track," spoke up Levi, grinning.

"And I'm Ms. Zoë. I teach biology! Say, what were we talking about, again?"

"Um, you know, signing up for the Survey Corps?" responded Eren, impatient.

"Oh, right," said Hange, pulling up a huge stack of papers from under the desk and setting them onto the surface, "All three of you are joining, right?"

"I am!" exclaimed Eren. "If Eren joins, then so will I," said Mikasa. Armin looked around, uneasy, then said, "Uh, no thanks. I heard kids get hurt all the time. I'll see you guys in the cafeteria." He walked past the desk and into the mess hall.

"Brilliant!" shouted Hange all of a sudden, "Finally, finally, we get some people to join! Erwin's going to be so pleased. Now, if you two would sign here, here, and here, also over there..."

"What are these for?" asked Eren as he scribbled his signature on the dotted lines.

"Oh, legal waivers. Like your friend said, kids are injured quite often. These are just to ensure that you understand that the Survey Club takes no responsibility for you if you are injured during a club activity. But no worries, that only happens like, what, once a week? Also, your signing up process isn't complete until you attend the induction ceremony after school, which is today!"

"Awesome. I've got nothing planned after school! Let's go, Mikasa! Survey Club, here we come!"

Mikasa sighed. This'll be a long ceremony.


	4. Rush

After school had ended, Mikasa and Eren made their way to an auditorium room to attend the Survey Club induction ceremony.

"What the heck is this?! Why do we have to go all the way _here_ for the ceremony?" complained Eren, holding a map of the school building. Located away from the other buildings, this particular building appeared quite poor and run-down, to the point where the hallway Eren walked in was almost completely dark, devoid of any light sources. Water dripped somewhere, echoing throughout the hall. Mikasa held a flashlight. trying to locate the room number they looked for.

"Good thing we're almost there. Room 341, right? There's Room 339... 340... 341!" exclaimed Eren. A paper taped on the doorway read "Survey/Recon/Scouting/Whatever Club Ceremony". Light shone out from the gaps between the door. Eren excitedly pushed it open and entered. Several rows of folding chairs and a stage plus podium greeted him. Dim fluorescent lights illuminated the room.

Only three chairs in the frontmost row of seats were filled. Two tall boys sat next to each other in the middle of the row, while a short girl sat a few chairs away from them. Eren approached them and saw who they were.

"No way. Reiner! And... Ernie!" greeted Eren.

"Um, my name is Bertolt," spoke up the tall, twiggy one.

Reiner, the muscular blonde boy, grinned and stood up from his chair to fist bump Eren.

"Eren, my man. You joined the Scouting Club, too? Sick."

"I know, right? I didn't think you and Bert would be here as well! It's awesome seeing you guys."

"Totes," replied Reiner. He looked past Eren and saw Mikasa behind him. "This is Mee-kah-ser? Dude, you already got yourself made in the first week! Annie over there won't give me any."

"Annie?"

"The Shorty McHottie sitting there," replied Reiner, pointing to the girl sitting alone, "She just doesn't appreciate my alpha lifestyle. You got me, Eren?"

"No, not really. I guess I'll go introduce myself."

Eren walked over and sat in the chair next to the girl. She had blonde hair tied back in a ponytail and cold blue eyes. She did not acknowledge Eren's presence, saying not a word. _Déjà vu_.

"Hey, I'm Eren. Nice to meet you. Did you sign up for the Survey Club? So did I. Pretty cool to see someone else with the same interests as me."

"We do not have the same interests," coldly replied Annie, "I joined for my own reasons..." She paused then turned to face Eren. "My name is Annie. Nice to meet you, too," said she, somewhat sarcastically.

"You're quiet. Funny, you remind me of Mikasa here. In fact, why's Mikasa standing and staring at us like that? She looks angry and-"

Mikasa grabbed Eren and hoisted him onto an empty chair, then sat on Eren's original chair so that she was between Eren and Annie. Just then, the door to the room creaked open. Levi Ackerman entered and went up on the stage in front of the podium, his eyes droopy.

Levi, seeing the five students in the front row, groaned. He muttered to himself, "Great. I have to deal with these brats."

He sighed and began: "All right. I don't want to waste my time here, and neither do you. I'm only here because Hange is out due to injuries."

"What?" called out Eren, "Ms. Zoë is hurt?! But we just met her today, and she was fine!"

"Kid, don't assume Hange's a smart lady. Moving on. You're all here to join the Survey Club, obviously. Why else would you go to this dirthole? I'm skipping all of this nonsense written here. You're going to receive this information in the mail or online anyways. The only official thing I need you brats to do is to do the salute, which makes you a Scouting Club member. Stand up, put your right hand on your heart, put your left behind your back, and let me say something motivational. Hurry up!"

Everyone got up and saluted.

"You're all soldiers and stuff. You'll be successful. I believe in you, the Recon Club believes in you. That is all." Levi stepped off the stage. "You can all go home now. I know I am."

Mikasa grabbed Eren's shoulder. "Eren. You said Friday. Let's go."

* * *

The two entered Mikasa's apartment room in the evening.

"Whoa. This is where you live?" asked Eren.

Mikasa nodded. Her apartment was nothing to boast about. Only consisting of one room and a bathroom, plus a closet, it was modest at best. A cot stood in the corner, next to the glass doors leading to a balcony, while on the other end of the room lay a desk and chair.

"No offense, but you're living in some bad conditions."

"It's all right, Eren. Whatever you say about something, I'll listen."

Eren walked over to the desk and discovered a particular drawing laid out upon it. He picked it up, his eyes widening as he examined it further.

"Eren, I invited you over to say-"

"This is cool, Mikasa! I didn't know you were an artist!" interrupted Eren, showing her an exaggerated drawing of himself holding a rose in his mouth and being surrounded by hearts, "I look like some kind of secret spy agent in this one."

Mikasa reddened.

"T-thank you. But I wanted to tell you that-"

"Oh! I get it."

Mikasa blinked. "You do?"

"You showed me how poor you are. Then you showed me your talent at drawing. I'll get you a job as an artist, no problem. I could even be your first customer."

"But Eren... I do have a job..."

"What? Where?"

* * *

Saturday morning. The students of Sina Academy threw off their roles as students for the weekend, and went out to spend time with their friends. But on this occasion, Eren set out on the streets alone. Armin told him that he'd be out somewhere on Saturday. Eren did know who to turn to.

Wandering downtown, Eren found his destination: a prominent coffee shop on the corner of the street. He entered and saw that the store was crowded. He also saw Mikasa behind the counter, wearing a green apron and tied-back hair. She waved at him and walked over to another cash register so there'd be no line between them.

"So. This is the place?" asked Eren, approaching her.

"Yes. This is where I work. So... what would you like to order, Eren?" she said, smiling and blushing.

Eren looked up at the menu, and his jaw dropped. "Look at these prices! And what's with these names? I know only one flavor of coffee: coffee."

"It's a business strategy, Eren."

"Just give me a coffee."

"Would that be _klein_ , _mittel_ , or _hoch_?"

"What? What're those?"

"It's German. I mean small, medium, or large."

"Uh, small. How much is that?"

"It's okay, Eren," whispered Mikasa, "I'll give it to you for free. When I'm on my lunch break, could we sit down together and...?"

Someone behind Eren audibly cleared their throat. Eren turned around and found that a line had already formed, with about a dozen people waiting behind him. They looked mad.

"What's the hold-up, kid?! Stop flirting and get your order across, idiot!" threatened someone from the queue.

" _What did you just say about Eren?_ " hissed Mikasa. She rolled up her sleeve and stepped onto the counter, her hands balled into fists.

* * *

"And that's how I got fired from my job," wrote down Mikasa in her diary later that night, "But hey, it was for Eren."

* * *

After the incident, Eren took to the streets once more, this time with Mikasa by his side. Mikasa only wore her regular clothing this time. They walked along the sidewalks of the city, bored.

"You invite me to come see you at work, and the first thing you do is to get in a fight. You're just like me."

"I apologize. Something came over me."

"No, I apologize. I was the one who angered that guy."

"It's okay. I obtained that job easily and it did not pay much. But now, we have time to spend together."

"... right. I suppose we should find you another job. Maybe you could deliver pizzas for that store over there."

" _Did someone say pizzas?!_ " a voice rang out down the street. The two turned their heads and saw a classic red convertible pull up towards them. The driver slipped off his sunglasses and squinted at Eren and Mikasa.

"Eren! Mee-kah-ser! My two favorite _amantes_! Sick." It was Reiner Braun.

"Reiner? I didn't know you can drive! Or speak Spanish!" responded a surprised Eren.

"No duh, bruh. I would've skated here, but Armeen here doesn't know how to skate."

Bertolt sat in the back of the convertible and shyly waved. Armin popped up from the passenger seat, and noticing that he faced his two best friends, his mouth drew open.

"Eren! It's you!" Armin exclaimed. He jumped out of the car and ran up to the two.

"You're hanging out with Reiner and Bert? So that's where you've been!" wondered Eren.

"Mhm! Reiner took me to the city to show me around. It's so fun! We were about to get some pizza for lunch until we found you guys."

Reiner honked the horn. "Tell you what, you two _periquitos_ can chill with us. If dates are a bike, then I'm like the training wheels. Hop in. We're gonna make this ride even funner!"

Bert scooted over, allowing Eren and Mikasa to sit in the back. Reiner accelerated ahead. Armin turned around and smiled widely at Eren, obviously enjoying the ride.

"So what have you been doing with Mikasa before we found you guys, Eren?" asked Armin, his hair blowing around. Mikasa glanced at Eren and her cheeks crimsoned.

"Oi, Armin. I was just visiting Mikasa at her job today. She is actually a barista! Well, _was_ a barista. I kinda got her fired."

"Really, Eren?" interjected Reiner, turning around to face them, "That's like, a good setup you got there. But that's poor execution, man."

"What do you mean, Reiner? And good Lord, keep your eyes on the road!"

"Pshh. Don't worry, dude. To me, this car is like a woman. First, I go in _smooth_. Right now, I'm going smooth. Then it all goes harder. Trust me, Eren. I'm a pro."

* * *

Evening approached. The five were stranded on the side of the highway, their car broken down and battered. Bertolt now sat in the driver's seat, with the hood of the car opened, trying to start the engine. It only sputtered weakly. Vehicles rushed past them, but none came to help.

"C'mon, Berty. You just have to hit the pedal hard again," said Reiner, examining the car. It suffered from various dents, including smashed headlights, a smoking engine, a broken windshield, and tree branches stuck to the tires. The kind of abuse that Reiner put the car through was unspeakable.

"Dang it, Reiner," complained Eren, "I told you we didn't have to hit that sixth mailbox!" Eren clutched his head, having accidentally landed himself on Mikasa during the bumpy journey. Not that Mikasa complained. Armin vomited on the wall in the background, distraught.

"Pshh. No worries, _amigo_. If chicks dig cars, then I gotta know cars." Reiner crawled on his back to the underside of the car to fix the situation himself.

"You know, Reiner. You said this car's like a woman to you. But it looks like you mangled up her looks."

"Chill, Jaeger. Sometimes, a dude's first time with girls just doesn't go good. Like with you and Mee-kah-ser. But with me, I've got Annie, and Krista, and Mina, and Sasha, and Armeen. Gotta juggle these like knives, bro. Careful practice and concentration makes you an alpha."

"You do know Armin's a guy, right?"

"... oh. Uh, I'll just fix this baby up now." He turned back to the underside of the car.

"Can't we just call some people and get this thing towed? Or even call our parents?"

"Yeah, and be wusses? A dude can't run away from everything, Eren. Now, I think I got this!"

Reiner split open a piece of metal underneath the car, causing gasoline to spill over him. He got up, wiped himself over, and told everyone, "Never mind."

"That was our gas! This day is just really unlucky for us, huh, Mikasa?"

That was about to change. Bright headlights shone behind them, the roar of a loud engine coming closer. It revealed itself to be a **large** four-door pick-up truck colored green, similar to the Survey Club's official color. It sped off to the side and parked close behind their convertible. Despite the humongous vehicle, a small driver stepped out. They all gasped.

"What're you kiddos doing here?" asked a confused yet bored Levi.

"Mr. Ackerman?!" cried Eren.

"Call me Club Captain Levi, twerp. Looks like your ride's all messed up and now you're stranded, correct?"

"Affirmative, sir!"

"Humph. Unfortunately for me, in accordance with Survey Club policy, I have to help you children out. Fortunately for you, you're all getting a free ride to your homes."

"Whoa. Mr. Levi's more chill than I thought. And he's got a sick ride!" remarked Reiner.

"Gee, thanks, Captain!" praised Armin, hugging the short captain.

"Don't touch me. Now I have to wash my clothes again. Just get in."

* * *

After dropping off the other kids, Mikasa and Eren found themselves to be the last ones in the truck along with Levi. The kids sat in the back, Levi in the front. By the time it was that way, the sun had already set and the darkness of night awaited.

"Thank you for picking us up back there, Captain," thanked Eren, watching the night sky from the window.

"Don't thank me. Thank the Recon Club. They made up these rules to help citizens in need. I helped you kids because of business... mostly."

"Captain Levi, why do you have to drive this thing? We've had to stop at the gas station like five times now, and we wasted so much time," questioned Eren.

"Take a look, Eren, at this big-ass truck. Heh, I just said a bad word and justified this story's T rating. This thing's a beast. Do you think I'd rather get some tiny hybrid, Eren? Do you think I'm a hippie?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Then shut up. Where's your house?"

"I-it's just a few blocks away from here, on 845 Cicada Avenue."

"What about you, girly?"

"... I'll just get off where Eren's getting off. I don't want you to waste more gas and time."

"Spoken like a true Ackerman. Here, we've arrived. Get out and don't leave any trash in my truck."

They arrived in front of Eren's home in Shiganshina. Mikasa and Eren complied, stepping out of the huge truck. Eren waved and called to Levi, "Thanks again, Captain! You're the best!" Mikasa, following Eren's lead, also said, "Thank you, Captain Levi." Through the window, Eren saw him giving a brief and faint smile before driving off.


	5. Friend

Around 10 PM on Saturday, a fifteen year old boy and a fifteen year old girl arrived at the former's home in the town of Shiganshina. Eren and Mikasa waved as Levi's truck sped off into the distance, its engine roar echoing through the neighborhood and causing many dogs to bark.

"Captain Levi's a strange guy. On the outside, he's all cold and sarcastic. On the inside, he's helpful and caring. I guess everyone has a soft side."

"That's thoughtful, Eren."

"I know, I should write poetry or something. Anyways, Mikasa. Looks like this is goodbye. I'd say this was a terrible Saturday, since I got you fired and ended up abandoning our car. But at least I spent it with my friends."

Eren turned and faced his home. Light shone out of the windows, forming bright yellow patches on the front lawn. Inside, they heard what seemed to be an argument, Carla's voice dominating the scene.

"My parents are definitely worried. I bet right after they get happy when I come in, they'll get super mad. I gotta think up an excuse. But that happens a lot, don't worry. See you, Mikasa."

Eren awkwardly shook Mikasa's hand and turned around to walk down the footpath leading to his house's front door. Before he took a single step, Mikasa grabbed his arm.

"Eren, wait. I'll go and see your parents with you."

"Huh? Why?"

"You said you need to come up with an excuse. What you need to tell them is the truth. If I'm with you to back up your story, then they will be less likely to punish you."

"You don't need to do that! I can handle this on my own, Mikasa."

"When you were helping me, you didn't need to do it, either. I'm still coming with you."

"All right, all right. Just don't embarrass me in front of my parents, okay?"

Mikasa joined Eren by his side and they both walked up to the front door. Eren stared at the wooden entrance, intimidated and nervous about the situation. Taking a big gulp, he knocked a rhythm on the door, a signature move to let his parents know that it's him. The commotion inside ceased at once, and the two heard footsteps quickly coming to the door. The doorknob turned and the door pushed open. Carla Jaeger stood before Eren and Mikasa. She looked down at Eren, her amber eyes reflecting both disbelief and shock.

"Eren! Eren!" she cried out, reaching down and hugging him, "We were looking everywhere for you! Your father was about to call the authorities. Oh, I was so worried! But my little boy has finally come home! Where have you been, young man?!"

"Geez, Mom. You're embarrassing me in front of Mikasa! Can you please stop hugging me?"

Carla let go and kissed her son on the cheek a few times. Watching the mother caring for her child, Mikasa could not help but feel a sense of longing and nostalgia. Carla, noticing the girl standing behind Eren, suddenly stopped. Her eyes darted back and forth between Eren and Mikasa. "Who's this girl you're with, Eren?"

"That's Mikasa. I was with her the whole day. We got in this whole mess together. It's okay, she's not a bully or anything."

"Well, come in, Mikasa. But you, young man. We have to talk."

"For what? What did I do?!"

Carla made her way towards the kitchen, with Eren in tow. She smiled at Mikasa, and told her, "You can sit on the couch in the living room, sweetie. Eren and I have to discuss something." Mikasa nodded and went towards the couch, staring at the large living space before her eyes. When she reached the kitchen, Carla frowned at Eren.

"So, Eren Jaeger. What have you been doing with that girl today, hm?"

"I told you this morning that I was going to the coffee store. I was actually going to see Mikasa at work. She's just my friend, Mom. What do you think we've been doing?"

Her frown turned into a grin.

"Oh? She's _just your friend_? And you spent the entire day with her?"

"Yeah, along with some other friends from school. We didn't get in trouble or misbehave or anything, I swear."

"You visit a girl at a coffee shop and stay by her side for the rest of the day, and she's still _just a friend_?"

"Isn't that what friends do?! She's a friend, Mom!"

"Your ears are red. That means you're not telling the truth," she playfully teased.

Eren's face turned red as well.

"What're you saying?! She's a friend!" snapped Eren.

"Not so loudly, dear. Let's go into the living room. We don't want to keep your _friend_ waiting."

Eren quickly rushed out of the kitchen and into the living room. Mikasa appeared on the couch, staring at Eren in a wide smile, holding back the urge to laugh. She heard everything. Carla walked to the stairs and called upwards, "Grisha! Eren's back! You don't have to call them now!" Eren sat down next to Mikasa, facing away from her.

"Why're you blushing, Eren?"

"None of your business... erm, sorry."

Grisha went downstairs and found Eren on the couch, with a mysterious girl next to him. He calmly walked over to them. Eren instinctively stood up and hugged his father, who hugged back. "We missed you, son," said Grisha, breathing a sigh of relief, "We were concerned about your whereabouts and safety. Now that you arrived, we can all rest easy."

Grisha shifted his eyes to Mikasa. "Are you Eren's friend, miss?" politely asked the doctor. Mikasa nodded.

With Eren's arrival aside, the family all gathered in the living room, with Carla and Grisha sat across from Eren and Mikasa. The parents, seeing Eren with a new friend, were curious. Carla brought a tray with two cups tea for the two adults, as well as glasses of water for the teens.

"Eren?" asked Grisha after sipping some tea, "Why were you so late? What happened?"

Eren, taken aback by the questions, struggled for a few moments. "Uh..."

"If I may interject, Mr. Jaeger," spoke up Mikasa, "I can explain everything."

* * *

Mikasa told the Jaegers everything about the day up to that point. She told them about the coffee shop, Reiner's car, Levi, all in clear detail and worded in a way that shifted the blame away from Eren. Every member of the Jaeger family, including Eren, sat and listened attentively.

"That is how we ended up here," concluded Mikasa, breathing in after her long monologue.

"Oh, you poor things. Your father is a great man for picking you children up," responded Carla in sympathy.

"Mr. Ackerman's not my father. My real father..." She looked down. Eren's parents obviously got the message and asked no further about the subject. It was at that point that Eren gained the resolve to speak up.

"Mom? Dad?" asked Eren.

"What is it, son?" replied Grisha.

"Is it okay if Mikasa could stay over here sometimes?"

Grisha and Carla stared at him. Mikasa especially stared at him. All were surprised.

"She just lost her job today," continued Eren, "All thanks to me, she's got no way to earn money. She's living there, in that apartment block nearby, all by herself. She just moved here from Japan. Her folks at home gave her all the money they could afford so she could come and attend Sina Academy! So she could move into that horrible place she calls a home!... uh, no offense, Mikasa. Can't she stay here? Please?"

Mikasa watched Eren, perplexed and astonished. Grisha and Carla took quick glances at each other, then both turned to the two teens and smiled. "Of course. You can come here anytime you want, Mikasa. We always welcome a friend of Eren's, if they behave of course," assured Grisha.

Mikasa looked around and glanced at all three Jaegers before her, their faces warm and polite. A family, welcoming her in open arms and kindness. For once, ever since she moved here, she no longer felt alone. She found herself in the company of loved ones. "Thank you," she muttered.

"Eren, Mikasa, I'm sure both of you are quite hungry. You both missed dinner when you were riding with Mr. Ackerman," said Carla.

"Obviously, Mom. Captain Levi only got me one gas station burrito, and I gave half to Mikasa. I'm starved!"

"There should be some leftover stew from dinner in the fridge. Come along, kids, to the dining table."

Eren led Mikasa to the dining table. As they both sat down, the beeps of a microwave went off, and Carla arrived to drop off two warm bowls of stew for both of them. She set down two spoons and walked back into the kitchen. Eren immediately wolfed down his stew, his quick motions causing droplets to spill on his shirt. Mikasa picked up the spoon, staring at her reflection. She looked back and forth between Eren and her own stew.

"What's the matter, Mikasa?" asked Eren, noticing her unwillingness to eat, "Aren't you hungry?"

"Yes, however... I haven't eaten this kind of food in a long time. Before all of this."

"So? Don't kill the mood. Eat. You don't have to feel bad about anything."

Mikasa placed her first spoonful into her mouth. Then another. And another. Both of them finished their meals quickly. Mikasa examined her bowl once more, seeing that the stew now lived in her stomach.

"This... this is good."

"Yeah, my mom's a _mean_ cook. And that can mean both ways."

"Oh? What was that, Eren?" interjected Carla, stepping into the dining room, "I'm here to let you kids know that it's past 11:00. Grisha and I spoke, and we believe that it's too late in the night for someone your age to be going out in the dark. You can stay here for the night, Mikasa."

"Thank you, Mrs. Jaeger," said Mikasa, "I gladly accept your offer. But where do I sleep?"

"You can sleep in Eren's bedroom. I'm sure he wouldn't mind, now would he?"

"B-but wait! Why _my_ room?!" interrupted Eren.

"You're the one who suggested she could stay here. And here you are, not keeping your promise to your... _friend_ ," responded Carla, beaming at Eren.

"I don't mind Mikasa! Nope! Not at all!" He smiled with his teeth. Eren immediately stood up and, in lightning-fast pace, collected both his and Mikasa's dishes and dashed into the kitchen to wash in the sink. Eren returned within a minute and grabbed Mikasa's hand.

"Come on, you slowpoke," commanded Eren, "We're going to my bedroom!"

Eren tried to the best of his ability to pull Mikasa forward. He failed. "How much do you weigh?!" asked a startled Eren. Despite his efforts, Mikasa would not move a centimeter.

"You don't need to hold my hand through this, Eren. Not that I wouldn't mind. Let's go."

* * *

Eren's bedroom, located on the second story of his house, resembled any other teenage boy's bedroom, which meant that it was often messy. A wide space, Eren had his desk and computer next to the window, and his bed to the right facing perpendicular to the window. Across from his bed lay a television with a video game console hooked up to it. There was also a closet and a shelf of books. But what distinguished Eren's bedroom was his Survey Club memorabilia, which included a poster hanging on the wall featuring the Wings of Freedom.

"Well, Mikasa. This is my room. Pretty cool, huh?"

Eren, wasting no time, jumped onto his bed. He continued doing so, bouncing slightly. Mikasa looked around, observing her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was the fact that Eren obviously had more provisions at hand than she.

"This is a nice bedroom, Eren. How could you afford all of this?"

"My dad's a doctor, you know. He earns a lot of money, so we could buy all this food, this furniture, these clothes, this- I'm probably annoying you, aren't I? Sorry."

"It's okay, Eren. I'm saying that I admire your bedroom, that's all."

"Why, thank you. Oh, I almost forgot. We have to get you somewhere to sleep on!"

Eren got up from the bed and approached his closet. Opening it, he crouched and dug inside, looking for a particular object. "A-ha!" Eren pulled out a sleeping bag and brushed it off.

"See this?" said Eren, gesturing at the sleeping bag, "I sleep in this when I go over to sleepovers with Armin. You can use it."

Eren glanced at Mikasa, then glanced at his empty bed, and then glanced back at Mikasa. "Actually, I'll sleep in this. You can take my bed!"

"Eh? No, no, no, it's okay, Eren! I can sleep in the bag and you can sleep on your bed!" said Mikasa, waving her arms.

"Nuh-uh. You're taking the bed. I'm taking the bag." Eren unzipped the sleeping bag. "Oh, you need pajamas, too!" He reached back into the closet and threw a pair of his own sleepwear to Mikasa. She did not bother catching it, and it landed on her head.

"Thank you, Eren." She started unbuttoning her shirt.

"Uh? Can't you change in the bathroom or something?!," said Eren, covering his eyes.

"My mistake."

When Mikasa returned, she wore Eren's striped pajamas on her. The shirt and the pants surprisingly fit her feminine figure.

"Who knew male clothing would fit on you so perfectly, Mikasa?"

"Thanks."

"What? Aren't you going to hit me or something? That was a joke."

"This isn't an anime, Eren. If I hit you, you'd receive a serious injury."

"Meh. Killjoy."

Eren zipped himself up until he was snuggled within the cocoon of the sleeping bag. Mikasa hopped onto Eren's bed, but kept the lamp on and stayed upright. She looked around the room, glancing at the various objects in Eren's possession.

"Eren?" called out Mikasa to the floor.

"What?"

"I forgot to tell you this yesterday. Why have you always been so kind to me, Eren?"

"Oi, what do you mean?"

An owl hooted from outside. Several crickets chirped. Moonlight fell into the bedroom through the window.

"I mean, Eren, why are you always going out of your way to be nice for me? I have done nothing to pay you back, but you still keep coming back for me. You even stood up for me in front of your family."

"Well, we're friends, aren't we? Let me ask you, why do _you_ go out of your way to help me? Your answer's probably the same as mine."

"It's because... you were being friendly to me in the beginning. You were being friendly to me through everything, even today. Why?"

"Because I thought you'd make a good friend. Friends care for each other."

"You give me more special treatment than any other friend. You care for me more. You look out for me more. You hold me in a higher place than even your best friend Armin. Do you... like me, Eren, more than other people?

"Um... I, uh... I like all my friends and family. I happen to like you more... as a friend, okay?! Can we please stop talking and go to sleep?" Thankfully for Eren, his sleeping bag was positioned so that Mikasa could not see his embarrassed face.

"Okay. Sorry for keeping you awake, Eren."

"It's fine."

Mikasa lied down, staring at the ceiling. She could not sleep. Several thoughts continued to cloud her mind, forbidding her mind from entering the sweet solitude of slumber. She sighed softly and took her pocket diary that she had placed on Eren's drawer after having changed her clothes. Mikasa picked up a pencil and began writing.


	6. Supermarket

Sunday dawned. Light from the morning sun shone through the windows of the Jaeger residence. Sunlight hit Eren's face, illuminating his features. The boy, feeling the sunshine piercing through his closed eyelids, began to stir and awaken. He yawned as birds chirped and children outside played. The entire house seemed still and serene. Eren blinked, unzipped the sleeping bag, and sat up to stretch.

He turned to his left and found Mikasa leaning over the bed, staring at him with a small smile.

"Gahh! What the?!" Eren exclaimed, falling back onto the floor in surprise.

"Eren, you're awake. Good morning," greeted Mikasa.

Eren got up and scratched his head. "You scared me. Why were you looking at me like that, Mikasa?"

"I was waiting for you to awaken. Do you dislike me staring?"

"Well, I'd prefer it if I was looking at you at the same time." He chuckled and Mikasa grinned in return.

* * *

After the two stretched, brushed their teeth, and changed their clothes, they headed downstairs. Grisha had already left the home by the time Eren and Mikasa woke up, and Carla was left in the kitchen, washing Grisha's plates. She turned to see the teens walking down the stairs and smiled warmly.

"Good morning, you two! How did you like sleeping in Eren's bedroom last night, Mikasa?" greeted Carla.

"Good morning, Mrs. Jaeger. I liked it. Eren's bed was soft," replied Mikasa, stepping into the kitchen.

"I see. You two didn't sleep together on the same bed, did you?"

"Of course not, Mom!" interrupted Eren, "I let her sleep on my bed. I just slept in my bag."

"How about you, then, Eren? Did you like Mikasa sleeping in your bedroom for the night?"

"Erm... I guess. Can you just fix up some breakfast already? I'm ready to eat just about anything!"

"Coming right up. Mikasa, you can stay for breakfast if you like. There's food to go around."

"Thank you, ma'am."

The two sat down at the dining room table, in the same seats as they were the previous night. Carla arrived with a box of wheat cereal, a carton of milk, and a bowl with a spoon in it. Eren stared at it, almost drooling.

"Here you go, Mikasa," said Carla, setting down the items in front of Mikasa on the table. Eren looked.

"B-but..."

"And this one's for you, Eren," said Carla as she came back holding a plate with a croissant and jam. Eren only watched her closely as she put the unfamiliar food near Eren, trying to make sense out of the situation.

"Mom, what about _my_ cereal?" asked Eren, puzzled and distraught.

"Sorry, honey. The only cereal left is in that single box. We ran out of cereal, so you'll have to settle for 'grown-up' food. You said you'd eat anything, didn't you?"

"Uh..." he glanced at Mikasa pouring down milk in the bowl first and then the cereal. Normally, this would horrify or disgust Eren, but he saw better. "Fine, I'll take it." Carla smiled at Eren's response and went back into the kitchen. Eren and Mikasa were left alone in the dining room, the only noise breaking the silence being Mikasa eating.

Eren stared at his croissant with jam. He looked at it in bewilderment, perhaps even suspicion. He took a bite out of it. A couple more bites. Eren finished his breakfast in a few swallows. As the last piece of food went down his throat, his stomach continued to grumble. He soon found the sight of Mikasa devouring the cereal repelling, and he instead stared off into space, his palm resting on his chin. His stomach growled like a beast, and Eren did his best to ignore it.

"Eren," spoke up Mikasa, her bowl half-empty, "Would you like some?"

"... huh?"

"Do you want to eat this cereal?"

"Honestly, yes. But since you're eating it, no."

"You can have some if you want, Eren."

"Really? Why? I can eat cereal some other day. You should eat."

"You look hungry. _You_ should eat." Mikasa grabbed her spoon, scooped up a spoonful of cereal and milk, and hovered it towards Eren's mouth as if she were feeding a baby.

"The heck are you doing? Now you're gonna feed me?"

"Yes. Open wide."

"I'm not doing tha- _*garble_ _*_ "

"You like cereal. Therefore, you should eat cereal. It's simple logic, Eren."

"Mmf! Mmmf!" gibbered Eren. After a few seconds, he calmed to the taste of cereal in his mouth. "Mmm." Eren took Mikasa's hand and pushed it away from his mouth. "I can eat for myself, thank you!"

Eren ate the rest of Mikasa's cereal quickly. After the two finished their breakfast, they walked up to the front door and prepared to step out.

"Well, Mikasa. I guess you're going home now. Want me to walk with you?"

"Yes."

"Awesome. Let's go!" Eren touched the doorknob and twisted it.

"Hold it! Where do you think you're going, mister?" demanded Carla, suddenly appearing behind Eren.

"What? I'm just heading out!"

"Oh no you aren't. You're coming with _me_ to go grocery shopping today."

"Wh-why?!"

"You still haven't made up for your lateness yesterday. Don't you want to buy your cereal, too?"

"Fine! But can we at least drop off Mikasa?"

"Of course. Come, Mikasa, you can ride with us."

"Thank you, ma'am. I will show you where my home is," thanked Mikasa.

The three of them went outside and onto the driveway where Carla's minivan waited. "Shotgun!" cried out Eren, running to the front passenger seat, leaving Mikasa to sit in the back. As Carla pulled out onto the road, Mikasa spoke up in the back.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Jaeger," asked Mikasa, "Would you mind if I come with you for grocery shopping?"

"Oh? You want to go with us, Mikasa?"

"Yes. I also want to buy things and see what they have in the store."

"Certainly. We can accommodate for you. Isn't that right, Eren?"

"Huh? What was the question?" asked a confused Eren.

"Thanks. My home is in that apartment building over there. Can you stop here so I could go inside and change my clothing?"

"Of course! Here we are."

She parked next to the sidewalk. Mikasa nodded and stepped out of the car, running to her apartment. Carla and Eren sat by themselves in the minivan as they waited for Mikasa.

"What a thoughtful young girl. You two get along well," said Carla, "Always trying to help one another out."

"So? That's what friends do, Mom!"

"I'm interested in how you met her. You two really got off on a good start."

"Eh?"

"Nothing, dear. Oh, she's back." Carla pointed at Mikasa, who now wore a hoodie and jeans. She went back in the car.

"I'm ready, Mrs. Jaeger," told Mikasa.

"Great! Buckle up, children. The supermarket is not too far from here." Carla began accelerating the minivan and drove off. Eren looked out the window, bored and uninterested. He watched the pedestrians walk by and cars whizzing past. It wasn't until his name was mentioned that he began to pay attention.

"So, Mikasa. I see you and Eren are very good friends. How did you two meet?" asked Carla whilst driving. Eren shuddered. His pupils focused on Carla, then on Mikasa, who appeared unaffected by the question. _What's Mikasa gonna say about me?_ he thought.

"Eren and I met on Tuesday, which was my first day of school. In the first period, I was assigned to the seat next to Eren. He welcomed me into the class and prepared the chair for me. In the periods we had together afterwards, he tried to show me around and teach me words, though I often told him I already knew English. In lunch period, he sat next to me when I was alone and offered me his food. From that moment on, I knew that your son cared for me." Saying that last sentence, Mikasa's cheeks crimsoned.

"It makes me happy to hear that my son's been treating you fairly, dear," replied Carla. Eren turned and faced Mikasa, astonished. Mikasa looked back at Eren and smiled. She waved. Eren immediately turned back around, his mouth speechless.

 _What's with Mikasa? Why's she making me so nervous and pacey? When I looked at her, my chest started thumping for no reason. Wait, I know... since she's so stronger than me, she's subconsciously trying to threaten and intimidate me. What a show-off!_

* * *

Carla Jaeger walked into the supermarket whilst pushing a shopping cart, Mikasa and Eren walking behind her. The supermarket appeared fairly large, and the first section one would see upon entering would be the produce area. Beyond that, there lay several aisles of various goods, from canned products to spices to snacks. Even further was the meat and fish section, complete with a in-house butcher shop. Finally there existed a miscellaneous area with random goods such as toys or flowers.

"All right, kids. I'm going to first buy some vegetables. Mikasa, you can look for whatever you like, then you can just bring it back to my cart. Eren can show you around. Won't you, Eren?"

"Why do you keep asking me obvious questions, Mom? I'm going to first get my cereal, then I'll let Mikasa get what she wants."

"Splendid. Now run off, you two."

Eren quickly left Carla and walked along the side of the aisles, watching the ceiling signs to see where the cereal was located. Mikasa trailed behind Eren, curiously looking at the products displayed on the shelves.

"See this, Mikasa?" asked Eren, pointing to a box of macaroni and cheese, "This is called a _box_. We put things in boxes."

"You don't have to tell me about this, Eren. I'm already fluent in English and I know what these are."

"Ha, I'm just messing with you. Look, there's the cereals aisle!"

The two went down the lane. Eren stared in awe at the colorful boxes to their left and right, each labelled with large logos and cartoons of their mascots eating their products. However, he could not find the brand he looked for.

"They don't have McWheaties?! But that's one of the best brands!"

"Eren, look there."

Two store employees were in front of an empty shelf, one of whom was crouching. They appeared to be resupplying it with boxes of McWheaties, a large basket of the cereal boxes near them. As Eren and Mikasa approached them, they overheard their conversation.

"Can't believe those Recon Club losers get to operate with this store," said the standing employee.

"Tell me about it, Bill. Those kiddos are just wasting our company's money and food."

"Tchh. They're also wasting our time, that's what. If you ask me, they should just scram- **OW!** "

"You take that back!" interrupted Eren, who had just thrown a cereal box at Bill's head, "The Survey Club are heroes!"

"Why you little... hey, get back here!"

Mikasa already grabbed Eren, hoisted him onto her shoulders, and sprinted away. She ran out of the aisle and into an open area, which happened to be near the front of the store. Shoppers stopped their carts and stared at the two teens. Feeling she covered enough distance, Mikasa walked over to a wall and gingerly set Eren down, her face red after having carried Eren.

"Wow, Mikasa. You just _had_ to make me look like a sissy in front of everyone!"

"Eren, you need to calm down. You shouldn't attack people simply because of their remarks."

"They were making fun of the Survey Club, Mikasa. I can't just let people insult what I love." He stood up and dusted off his shirt.

He looked around and discovered a familiar sight: a large table draped in green cloth with two people sitting behind it. Behind them hung the poster of the Wings of Freedom. "What a coincidence! The Survey Club is here!"

Eren ran up to the table. To his left sat a young girl with light ginger hair and amber eyes, and to his right, a seemingly older wrinkled man with undercut hair and bored hazel eyes.

"Hi, there! Welcome to the Scouting Club's canned food giveaway for the poor and homeless! We _will_ give you free food!" greeted the girl cheerfully. She smiled at Eren, until she noticed Mikasa coming up behind him, whose eyes reflected suspicion.

"Oh, hello, too. Wait... are you two the Sina Academy freshmen Eren and Mikasa?" asked the girl, eyes sparkling.

"What?! How do... no, don't tell me. I'm not even going to bother," said Eren, sighing, "So you guys are a part of the Survey Club?"

"That's right, you chickenhearted ragpuppet!" interjected the old-looking man. The girl tapped on the man's foot underneath the table, causing him to yelp and bite his tongue.

"Sorry about that. I'm Petra. The cranky one's Oluo. We're seniors from Sina Academy, just like you. It's good to see you two."

"Awesome. You guys get to do the best jobs, reserved for only the most experienced of the club, right?"

"No, you brat," interrupted Oluo, "This stupid activity is supposed to be for stupid recruits like you. But since we're outta stupid recruits, we have to do this stupid task. Oof!" Petra elbowed him in the ribs.

"I apologize," said Petra, "Oluo's just trying to imitate Captain Levi again. Oh... Captain Levi... he's so dreamy..."

"... right. Well, is there any way for me and Mikasa to help you guys?"

"Sure. I can just write in our daily report that you two assisted us." She pulled up a clipboard and pushed it towards Eren. "Just write out your names."

The two signed on the form. "We have to do a lot of paperwork in the Survey Club, huh?" asked Eren.

" **HEY!** There they are! That's the two kids!" called out a voice. Everyone turned to see a trio of security guards approaching them, with Bill leading them. He looked mad. "I knew it!" he cried out, "They _are_ working for that Recon Club or whatever it is! All of them are just trying to hurt our business! Get them, boys!"

"I can handle this, Eren," boasted Mikasa, holding up her fists, "You can run while I distract them."

"No! I'm not letting you do anything stupid. I'm doing the right thing. And I'm not running away like a sissy." Eren approached the four men with his hands raised. "Take me in. Take my friend in, too. But those two Survey Club guys have nothing to do with us. They didn't do anything. Just us!" Bill grunted, satisfied with Eren's response. He snapped his fingers and got the guards to lead Eren and Mikasa away. Bill held his fingers in a V position and pointed them back-and-forth between himself and Petra before walking off.

Petra looked at them as they moved away. She looked back at her clipboard and began writing on it: _Eren Jaeger and Mikasa Ackerman arrived to help us. They succeeded._

* * *

The supermarket manager announced on the PA system that he discovered two rowdy children and needed a parent/guardian to pick them up. Carla entered the office where the two were held, apologized sufficiently to the manager and Bill, and gave them a hefty amount of money for damages. She told them the excuse that teens in love tend to do stupid things, which they agreed with, sending Carla and the kids on their way.

The three went back into the parking lot in silence. Carla frowned. She packed what groceries she had into the back of the minivan. Eren and Mikasa came out empty-handed, with Eren missing his cereal and Mikasa missing her supplies. As they entered, Eren decided to sit in the back with Mikasa.

"Mom, I'm sorry," said Eren, "I went crazy. If Mikasa wasn't around, then I would have gotten in more trouble."

"Don't apologize to me, Eren. Apologize to Mikasa."

"Right. Sorry, Mikasa. Because of me, you didn't get to buy your stuff. But thanks for trying to protect me."

"It's okay, Eren," responded Mikasa, "You also protected me from making an irrational decision by fighting those men. Thank you, too. It was fun spending time with you."

"You always have to say something cheesy, don't you?" Eren teased. Carla, whose face could not be seen by the children, smiled. The three drove away, ending on a happy note.


	7. Annie the Leonhart

Monday morning, physical education class. The boys and girls of the class all dressed up in the same gym uniform with brown shirts and white shorts to go outside on the field for the usual exercise routine. The coach set up various stations around the grass field to train the various parts of the body, such as a running station or a pull-up station. Eren and Bert were on the push-up station.

"Twenty-three... twenty-four... ow!" exclaimed Eren, attempting to do another push-up before collapsing on the mat. "Whew... that was a good one. How many push-ups can you do, Bert? Bert? Oi, Bert!"

"H-huh? Oh, sorry, Eren," said Bert, who stood and stared off somewhere, "I was just looking at someone."

"Who?" He looked at where Bert faced and saw a short blonde girl. "Annie? What about her?" Eren got up. Annie stood at the station behind them by herself.

"Just look at her. She's so lov-" Bert began sweating and blushing.

"Lazy? Exactly what I was thinking. She's just standing around doing nothing!"

"She's n-not lazy! She was the star player of the girls' soccer team back in our middle school... um, Eren, can you talk to her for me? I'm too scared!"

"Talk to her about what?"

"Uh... tell her I said hi. Please?"

"Sure, I'll do that. I'll give her a piece of my mind!" The coach blew his whistle, signalling for the students to change stations. Bert left after giving Eren a thumbs-up. Eren remained, however, and waited for Annie to approach. She dragged her feet across the field, not paying any attention, until she reached Eren's position.

"Hey, Annie," greeted Eren, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Hm?" Annie lifted her head. "Eren Jaeger."

"Why aren't you exercising? You know the coach is gonna chew you out for this, right?"

"As if I care."

"Well, I do. Training yourself'll help you. If you slack off, you're just gonna lose your strength."

"That _is_ true."

"So why're you doing nothing?!"

"... there's no point. Strength does not matter if you lack strategy, Eren."

"Huh?"

Annie grabbed Eren and pinned him down to the mat. She knelt down over him, staring into his eyes.

"I will ask. Why do _you_ care about what _I_ do?"

"If one person falls behind, then the whole group falls behind, that's what I care!"

"Interesting viewpoint, that. Normally, fools like you abandon their little motivational talks."

"Yeah, well, I don't! I can't just care for myself! I have to help others when they need it."

"Quite dedicated to your ideals, are you? You remind me of a person I once knew."

The whistle blew again, signalling another station change.

"Really?"

"Yes. He and I were close. Always talking about his mission, always working for his dreams... yet, he's dead."

"What's with girls telling me about their personal lives? And also, you're crushing me!"

"Perhaps it's because you possess the charm to make girls trust you. Ever thought about that, Eren?"

Mikasa stomped loudly onto the mat, nearly tossing Eren upward. Annie stood, calmly walking away. Mikasa lifted Eren and dragged him the other direction.

"Geez, Mikasa. We were in the middle of a conversation!" complained Eren.

"Come, Eren. Let's go."

As Eren was hauled off, he looked back at Annie. _What's with her?_

* * *

During lunchtime, Mikasa and Eren walked together into the cafeteria. They went to their usual lunch table in the corner but found that Armin was not present. "Hey guys, over here!" cried out Armin, who waved at them from a table nearby. He sat next to Reiner and Bertolt, with Sasha Blouse and Connie Springer nearby.

"There you are, Armin!" said Eren, sitting down next to his best friend.

"Reiner invited us to sit with him and Bert! I feel like I'm a celebrity now!" replied an excited Armin.

"'Sup, Eren, Mee-kah-ser," greeted Reiner. Bert waved.

"Thanks for letting us sit with you guys," thanked Eren, pulling out his lunchbox.

"No probs. Dude, wanna play catch with Bert and me after school? It'll be sick!"

"Sorry, Reiner, I dunno if I have the time. Hey, where were you yesterday, Armin?" He bit on a sandwich.

"Eren, I went over to your house yesterday morning and knocked on the door. Your mom opened and said that you and Mikasa were still sleeping in your bedroom. So, I, erm... kept you two to your privacy?" Armin's face turned red.

"It's okay, Armin! You should've seen it, Mikasa and I had a blast. We first started off just talking and..."

"Please don't tell me about this! I'm still young!"

The conversation was interrupted by a swift movement and a girl's yelp. Sasha had appeared behind Eren. Mikasa gripped Sasha's wrist firmly, whose hand hovered above Eren's shoulder. Eren turned in surprise.

"S-s-sorry! I was just going to ask Eren if I could have some of his food!" whined Sasha.

" _Were you?_ " asked Mikasa, glaring.

"Yeah, yeah, of course!"

Eren sighed and looked forwards again. While Mikasa and Sasha conversed, he noticed two girls sitting down at the table in front of them. One girl, Annie, ate her food in silence. The other girl, Mina Carolina, made repeated hand gestures whilst loudly speaking to Annie. Eren's gaze met Annie's. Out of nowhere, she lifted her finger and pulled it toward her, beckoning Eren to come to her.

Mikasa distracted herself with Sasha, allowing Eren to get up and sit down with Annie.

"Interesting. You actually came over when I asked you to," said Annie as Eren sat down.

"So what?"

"Boys are usually scared and put off by my demeanor. Yet, here you are, following my request."

Mina gasped, placing her hands on her mouth.

"Eren Jaeger?!" she exclaimed, "You're sitting with _me_?! Oh. My. Gosh! This has _got_ to go on my profile!" Mina took out her phone and raised it in the air, taking a selfie. The picture revealed a cheerful Mina holding a V sign, with a frowning Annie and confused Eren staring at the camera.

"Give it a break, Mina. I called him over to talk business."

Mina already lost her attention, instead typing away on her phone screen.

"So, uh... what is it, Annie?" Eren asked.

"Nothing. This was only to gauge your reaction."

"Wait, what?!"

"To see if you trust me, I issued you a vague command. You obeyed. Since you're present, I suppose I should ask you."

"Yeah?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Huh. Yeah... I guess so." Eren scratched his head.

"Hm... interesting. I ask a favor of you, then. Meet with me after school. I will be leaving my soccer practice early. Don't bring your violent female friend with you."

"You don't mean Mikasa, do you?"

"Yes." Annie leaned closer and spoke into Eren's ear. "She will only get in the way."

Annie's eyes drew open. She ducked and pulled Eren towards her. A thrown sandwich splattered on Eren's face hard enough to knock him back from his seat. Annie stood and noticed Mikasa marching to them with furious eyes.

"I apologize for that, Eren. In situations like these, one must act with haste," said Annie.

"That's enough. Stay away from Eren," threatened Mikasa.

"Perhaps you should observe before charging into a battle, mongrel. You accidentally hurt your little crush."

"He's my friend!"

"Friend? Is that how you describe things? I'll call you a beast, then, holding captive Eren the princess. I'm the knight here to defeat you and rescue the princess."

"I've no time to talk about your sick fantasies, Annie."

"That's amusing. You're only a background piece that goes, 'Eren, Eren, Eren.' I don't have time for this, either. Go ahead and take your friend."

Annie turned to Eren, who had just recovered. "Remember." Eren stared at their confrontation, somewhat terrified. He glanced an annoyed look at Mikasa and sighed.

 _I don't understand girls._

* * *

At the end of school, Eren approached the soccer field and found Annie on the bleachers, dressed in her usual clothing instead of the uniform worn by the rest of her teammates on the field. Noticing Eren, Annie stepped off the benches.

"Well, Annie. Here I am. What did you want me for, exactly?" Eren said.

"It's surprising that you still followed my request, despite the... _difficulties_ we faced earlier."

"Why do you keep acting like that? You told me to come here!"

"Obviously. Still... hm." Annie pointed to a nearby tree. "I know you're hiding there, beast. This isn't an anime, so stop stalking your love and come out here!" Mikasa walked into view from behind the tree. Annie watched Mikasa come closer.

"I'm not letting go of Eren that easily," boasted Mikasa, walking and clenching her fists. Annie began a fighting stance until Eren stepped in front of her. "Get out of my way," Annie taunted back.

" **No!** " he shouted. Mikasa halted, startled. "That's it! Mikasa, you've been doing _nothing_ but getting on my back and interrupting me today!"

"E-Eren?"

He approached her. "Quit trying to threaten Annie! Why do you keep getting so mad with her?! What has she done to you?"

"I... I'm sorry. I wanted to defend you."

"Just leave me alone. C'mon, Annie, let's go."

Eren began the opposite direction from Mikasa. "Eren," called out Annie, "You're going the wrong way. You're supposed to be following _me_ , remember?" Eren sighed and walked back. Mikasa blankly stared at Eren's and Annie's backs as they walked away.

"You know, that was quite harsh, Eren," spoke up Annie, looking down.

"What?! But the things you said before, _those_ weren't harsh?"

"I know when there are limits. Mikasa's still a girl... with feelings."

"Feelings?"

"You really don't get it, do you? I'll explain that when we get there. I have a place in mind."

As they pressed onward, Eren turned his head sideways and found Mikasa still behind them, this time not following him. She grimly knelt down on the grass. He felt a twinge of pity for her.

* * *

"Since when were you this fast, Annie?" asked Eren. The sun already began to set in the horizon. Annie jumped from ledge to ledge, climbing the hilly rocky face.

"I told you to keep up. I thought you were supposed to be strong!" mocked Annie, standing on the flat peak. Eren weakly climbed up the edge a minute later, though a smirking Annie grabbed his hand to help him.

"Gah... so this is the place? Where are we?"

"Look closely, Eren. Come to this side."

Eren gaped as he walked over, seeing a full view of the city skyline before him. With the sun setting, the various tall buildings and skyscrapers began to lit up, individual windows illuminating one by one. As Eren stood and watched, Annie sat down, her legs dangling over the edge of the cliff. The orange sun glowed faintly behind the high structures in the distance, casting fading light on the two.

"Whoa... this is beautiful!"

"I know many other locations like this around the area. This just so happened to be the closest one."

"That's awesome, but... why'd you call me all the way here?"

"Two reasons, Eren. First, I needed a secure place to talk to you, where no one can interrupt us but the crickets. Second, this vista is good food for thought, no?"

"Talk to me? About what?"

"Mikasa."

"This again? We talked about it on the way here!"

"No, you were the one talking about how Mikasa was being bratty and annoying, while I listened in silence. However, that's not all to this topic. Tell me, Eren. Do you have people that you care about?"

"Definitely. My mom. My dad. Armin. Captain Levi..."

"Individuals gain strength from the people they love and care for in their lives. When they feel their loved ones are threatened, they muster the courage and resolve to try to protect them. To protect their precious loved ones is their purpose. Tell me, Eren. Is there a certain someone you want to protect the most?"

"What do you mean?"

"Someone who is most precious to you. An individual you value and cherish significantly. Can you think of anyone?"

"Uh..."

"You are this to Mikasa. You're who she wants to defend."

"I know that, but Mikasa's just being so stubborn about it! She keeps overreacting for no reason."

"Mikasa's just like you, relentless in her own goals. People go to extreme lengths to try to protect the ones they love. I assume that, since she's so focused on you, all her concentration is on you. To her, you're a living emotional crutch. But when your loved one suddenly betrays your care, you start to feel hopeless and lost. You did this with Mikasa. You made her lose her purpose, like the _overly-emotional spineless coward_ she is."

"Makes sense, but... why do you keep badmouthing Mikasa like that? That's not nice."

"See? I knew you care for her. I tested you with the last statement, to see your reaction. Both of you care for each other. Your relationship obviously goes deeper, but you're too stupid to notice it and Mikasa's too afraid to admit it."

"Eh?"

"It's so glaringly obvious that it makes me cringe just watching you fumble around her."

"Why don't you just tell me, then?!"

"Because watching you two have awkward romantic tension is _funny_."

"Well... okay. You must have lots of friends to know this stuff so well, right?"

"No."

"No?"

"Why do you believe I sought you out? There are currently few people in my life that matter to me. I met Mina once, and she wouldn't let me go. I do know two others. Do you know Reiner Braun and Bertolt Hoover?"

"Sure, they're my friends. They're good guys, aren't they?"

"They can be rather... foolish."

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of the city at around the same time, two boys sneaked around a suburb.

"Reiner, are you sure we should be playing catch in the middle of night on someone's lawn?!"

"Dude, Bert, chill. Sometimes, you gotta live life up to the extreme. You gotta have the thrill sometime, bruh. Catch this!"

The football crashed through the stranger's house's front window and shattered the glass.

"Hey, what the?!" cried out an old man inside, "It's you lousy rascals again! I thought I said get lost!"

"What's up, Mr. Woermann!" shouted back Reiner, "Yo, you mind if you pass us that ball? We kinda need it for our game, right, Bert? Hey Bert, why ya running away?!"

* * *

"So... you're trusting me?"

Annie nodded. "Since you clearly trust me, I should do the same to you. Why else would you follow me? That, or you're a complete moron who follows any order. Either way, you're different from the rest. There's something in you that I admire. Determination. That person I told you about earlier? I was referring to my father."

"Your f-father?!"

"He was the one I once cared for. He wasn't a perfect man. Yet, he always stayed committed to his goals. One day, he was murdered. With him died his spirit and my hope. I question even today what my purpose is now. I could throw myself off this cliff, but then, that won't solve every problem and answer every question. I can only care for the memories of my father, and cling onto my own vague purpose: to find out who killed him."

Annie stayed silent, prompting Eren to not respond immediately. By then, the sun disappeared, and the night sky revealed to be a dark blue, with the bright lights of the city looming underneath. The two watched the vibrant cityscape quietly.

"I'll help you do it."

"Hm?" Annie, genuinely surprised, faced Eren. He grinned defiantly.

"You heard me! I know someone else who also lost her parents, and that's Mikasa. And if you want to help someone you loved, then I'll help you."

"You're an interesting sort, Eren. I did not even ask you for help, and you still willingly volunteer to assist me. I grow more surprised every minute talking to you."

"Losing someone is bad for any person. I figured that you dragged me here to ask me for my help, didn't you?"

"Good observation. You're correct. Of course, I'm not telling the full details of my plan yet. I don't even know my plan. All I can do is investigate. Thank you."

"You're just rubbing off on me. I never thought you'd be the thoughtful type, Annie."

"Unlike you, I'm not so obvious at showing my emotions. Heh. Your friend, Mikasa, is lucky to have you. She and I are in similar predicaments, but at least she still has someone to protect. Still, I can't believe how your encounter with Mikasa sidetracked me to lecture you about how relationships work, instead of going straight to my plan for you."

"Well, Annie, I guess you found another purpose! To teach me about what you girls keep jabbering about!" He chuckled.

Annie smiled, the first time Eren had ever seen her do so. "I suppose so. It's getting dark, so I recommend you go home. Since you agreed to help me, I'll give you your first task. Go back to Mikasa and do what is right. Understand?"

"Roger that!"

Eren playfully saluted. He waved goodbye and left the cliff, leaving Annie alone as she sat on the ledge, staring at the stars in satisfaction.


	8. Thermal Expansion

The morning after, Eren walked to Sina Academy, this time with only Armin by his side. Mikasa apparently went to school on her own, and the thought of this only made Eren feel more guilty. "Eren, where's Mikasa?" Armin asked. Eren quietly replied, "I was being mean to her."

The two walked into their homeroom class and found Mikasa already sitting at her seat, next to Eren's empty seat. She stared down at her desk, not paying attention to anything around her. Eren nodded to Armin and the two went off to their respective desks. Eren sheepishly sat down, though Mikasa did not turn to face him.

"Hey," he greeted.

Mikasa still did not look up. She appeared unmoving and gloomy, her pupils facing downward. Seeing Mikasa unresponsive, Eren sighed and tapped his forehead. He made a terrible mistake, and Mikasa's sentiments only served as a grim reminder.

"Mikasa..."

She said nothing.

"I'm... sorry!" Eren banged his fists on the desk and growled. "It was all _my_ fault! I didn't ever think I was being mean to you, I was only thinking about myself! I _know_ you care about me, Mikasa, and I didn't ever care for you back! Argh, I'm just an idiot, and I'm sorry..." He punched himself on his cheek, the impact throwing his head back. Nearby students stopped and stared at him.

"Eren."

Eren stopped caressing his face and saw Mikasa, who finally looked back at him. She gently took Eren's hand away from his cheek and grasped it. He blinked.

"It's okay, Eren. It's not your fault. I forgive you. You're still my... friend." Mikasa spread her arms outward and began leaning closer towards Eren.

"N-no, wait!"

He gasped and tried to back away, but fell over from his seat and knocked his head on the floor, rendering himself unconscious.

* * *

Mikasa carried Eren in her arms to the nurse's office down the hallway. The boy mumbled to himself in his comatose state, repeating words like "Mikasa." She walked as quickly as possible to the nurse while looking at Eren in concern.

 _I'm sorry, Eren._

She pushed the door labelled "Nurse's Office" open and met a lone woman in a nurse outfit sitting at the front desk. The woman opened her mouth to speak, then saw the concerned Mikasa and the unconscious Eren in her arms. Standing up, the woman approached the two.

"Please, ma'am, I need to get him to the nurse! He's hurt!" cried Mikasa.

"Now, now, sweetie. I _am_ the nurse. I'm Nurse Prowse. Just sign this with both your names and the time you arrived," she said, handing Mikasa a clipboard and pen. She refused to let go of Eren, however, and decided to clench the pen with her teeth to sign it. Prowse raised her eyebrow.

"Thank you. Come with me, we'll take him to the medical bay."

Mikasa followed Prowse into the next room whilst carrying Eren. "Set him down here," said the nurse, pointing to a hospital bed. Mikasa gingerly set him down and took a seat next to the bed, her eyes never leaving Eren.

"How did he get injured?" asked Prowse.

"He - he was hit on the head and knocked out."

"I see. Thank you." She scribbled on her clipboard. "I'll take it from here. You can head back to class now, dear," said Prowse.

"Wait!" Mikasa grabbed the sleeve of her uniform. "Please, I would like to stay with him. It's my responsibility to make sure that he's okay."

"Sure, that's completely fine. Here, I'll check on him."

Mikasa tiredly sat back down. She watched the nurse perform various check-ups on Eren's body, including feeling his pulse and examining his head wound. Her own heartbeat raced, worried for her companion. _Please be okay..._

"Good news," said the nurse, "It's not a concussion or anything too serious. It's a typical injury, something I've seen from all the athletes who come here." Mikasa breathed a sigh of relief.

The nurse smiled reassuringly. "Luckily for you, your boyfriend's going to wake up in a few minutes, back in good shape."

"He's my friend!" Mikasa's cheeks reddened.

"Ah, my apologies. I'll be going back to the desk. Take care." The nurse left the room, leaving Eren and Mikasa alone. The latter looked at Eren's closed eyes and breathed softly. Mikasa reached out and ran his hair through her fingertips.

"Ugh..." groaned Eren suddenly.

Mikasa quickly drew her hand back. "Eren! You're awake!"

"Whuh... what happened? Is this... am I in the nurse's office?!" Mikasa nodded. Eren sat up and rubbed his head.

"Why am I here? Wait... no!" Eren darted back on the bed and leaned against the wall behind him.

"What is it, Eren?"

"Please, Mikasa, please don't hurt me! I said I'm sorry!" He fearfully held his arms in front of his face.

She blinked, confused. "But I would never hurt you. You injured yourself when you fell over, and I took you here to recover."

"Well, you were approaching me with your arms out, I thought you were gonna strangle me or something!"

"I... wanted to give you a hug, Eren." Hearing this, Eren lowered his guard to glance at Mikasa, whose eyes appeared saddened.

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I was overreacting yesterday when you were with Annie. I'm the one being selfish, I treated you as if I'm the only person you need. It's my fault that you were hurt, both yesterday and today. My emotions... bested me. I didn't want to lose you, Eren, like when I lost my family..."

"No, I'm sorry! I didn't realiz-"

"You don't have to be." Mikasa buried her face in her palms and sighed.

Suddenly, Eren's arms wrapped around her. Mikasa looked and found Eren's chin resting on her shoulder, his body sharing warmth with her's.

"You said you wanted a hug. If you want something, just tell me and I'll get it for you." Mikasa felt uncertain, then relinquished the moment by holding onto Eren.

"Listen," reassured Eren, "Both of us have to protect each other. The two of us, we'll conquer the world. Friends look out for each other. You're my friend, Mikasa. And I know I'm your friend. I know you've been taking care of me all this time, but I kept taking it for granted and never returned the favor. So I'm sorry."

"Thank you, Eren. I'm happy that you spoke to me. Every time you talk to me, I always feel... _friendship_."

Eren nodded and grinned. A sudden buzz went off in his pocket. Eren reached in and pulled out his phone. "Huh? Captain Levi just texted me. He... he wants us to go to his office after school!?"

* * *

The administrative buildings in the Sina Academy campus appeared quite grandiose and luxurious compared to others. They contained the faculty members' offices and work areas, the cleanliness of each one depending on which staff inhabited it. Eren and Mikasa reached Captain Levi's door. A sign posted next to it read, "All visitors **must** take off their shoes and wear slippers before entering Levi Ackerman's office." They shrugged and did so, then knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" a voice called from inside.

"Captain Levi, it's us, Eren and Mikasa!"

"Oh, great. Fine. Just open the door."

They walked inside. Levi's office had a polished, shiny wooden floor, dark green wallpaper, various shelves of books, and a large wooden desk and leather chair in front of a tall window. Interesting, Levi also had a pinup of a maid on the wall. Levi, despite his small size, sat quite comfortably on the tall chair and fiddled with a fountain pen. The two teens walked up to his desk.

"All right, you muppets better have a good reason for interrupting my tea session."

"But sir, didn't you call us here?" asked Eren.

"Mm... you're right. I got you here to tell you something..."

Levi opened a drawer in his desk and rifled through it."A-ha!" He pulled out the current edition of the school newspaper, which appeared to have separate papers within. He reached into the middle of the newspaper and held up a penciled-sketch of Eren and Levi cuddling.

"Wh-what the?!" exclaimed Eren. Mikasa immediately grabbed the picture and tore it up.

"See that, Eren? Look at how wrong that picture is. The first problem is that they got my height way off. Second, they didn't get my good looks right. Third, they made you look much better than you actually look."

"What's that _thing_ for, anyways?"

"The school newspaper's hosting a competition. Something about relationships and stuff. They basically made a survey asking about the most popular couples in the school. They also had categories, like 'cutest couple' or 'weirdest couple'. That picture she just tore up? That was a submission for 'cutest couple'."

"What?! Why?"

"Not my fault that teenage girls find the two of us attractive. What a drag. The journalist idiots are running out of things to write about. See for yourself."

Eren grabbed the newspaper and looked upon it in horror. " _This_ is the school newspaper? This is garbage! Who writes this stuff? It's like some tabloid."

He pointed at the headlines, and indeed, they looked ridiculous, with titles such as "You Won't Believe what Eren Said to Mikasa!" or "Eren Found with Annie: Shocking!"

"The stupid glasses lady helps organize this gig. She actually allows kids to submit fan art or write fan-fiction of their fellow students. Get this. Fan. Fiction. Dumbest thing I've ever heard. Also, looking at the submissions for the freshman class, I found _this_ to be popular."

He brought out another picture, this time of Mikasa kissing Eren on the forehead.

"What? Did they draw my mom? They only got her black hair right! Everything else is just off."

"No, that's Mikasa, the girl right next to you."

Eren looked back and forth between Mikasa's blushing face and the strange picture. "... well, they drew Mikasa pretty good on this one. But they made me look stupid!"

Mikasa grabbed the paper again, but this time stuffed it into her pocket.

"Heh. What an Ackerman," remarked Levi.

Eren tapped his foot. "Sir, is this really all that you wanted to talk to us about? You called us up here to look at some dumb pictures?"

"Now that you mention it, I remember now." He sipped his tea. "Petra told me that on Sunday, you two helped her and Oluo at the supermarket. Of course, she was acting like a moron and kept stuttering or passing out if I give her so much as a glance. So after some shouting, I finally figured out what actually went down. You two kiddos did a good job that day, and I thank you for it."

"Wow! I'm being thanked by _the_ Captain Levi! It's such an honor, sir!"

"Shut up, squirt, I'm not done. Since you two did a good job helping _their_ mission, I've decided that it's time for both of you to complete your own. Under normal circumstances, you'd have to go through training first, but all of our instructors are busy and I'm too lazy. So this mission's going to wise you up and earn your Wings of Freedom."

"Awesome! This is totally awesome! What's our mission, sir?! I'm ready!" Eren jumped up and down.

"Your first mission..." He picked up a small notebook and read it. "... rescue a cat stranded in a tree."

"Wh-what?!" He gaped at Levi, who took another sip of tea.

"You heard me. Don't expect to get any hard missions the first time around. The hard missions are all probably taken anyways, so you worms are here to clean up what's left."

"I guess that's fine, sir. But why do you need the two of us to rescue a cat? I'm pretty sure I can do it on my own, without Mika- _Mmf!_ "

Mikasa covered Eren's mouth with her hand. "Eren and I accept the mission! We are going together!"

"Excellent. However, you also have to accommodate for one more team member. That twerp's in need of a job, too, so she's coming with you."

Mikasa's eyes widened upon hearing the word "she". Eren's eyes flashed with excitement. "Oh, that's cool. Who is she?"

"Annie Leonhart."

The room's air stiffened. Eren gasped in excitement."No way! This is awesome, Captain Levi! Annie's actually my friend. This is the best first mission ever. Right, Mikasa?"

Mikasa frowned. "Excuse me, Captain Levi sir, but is there anyone else who could take over for Annie's role in our team? I was hoping for other options than... her."

"There _was_ Reiner and Bertolt. Those two weasels ended up vandalizing someone's home and now they're serving their punishment, by cleaning the entire school for a week. So, only Annie is left. Enough questions, twerps. I have things to do. The mission takes place tomorrow, after school. You'll meet me in this same spot. I'll brief you all when you get there. Now get out and don't forget to throw away any trash."

"C'mon, Mikasa, let's go!" Eren grabbed Mikasa's arm and dragged her out the room, or at least, tried to. He struggled with her weight before giving up and walking out himself.

Under normal circumstances, Mikasa would've been delighted for Eren to hold her arm, but now she had far more important issues to deal with.


	9. Misunderstanding

On Wednesday, after school, a three-man squad consisting of Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman, and Annie Leonhart set out on a mission to rescue a cat stuck in a tree in a city park. The trio moved along the urban streets to get to their destination, each of them wearing the same green Survey Club cloak to indicate that this was an official task.

Eren clutched a map of the downtown area in his hands, trying to locate the park. Despite being a team, Annie and Mikasa walked several meters behind Eren on the sidewalk, both of them glaring at each other in suspicion.

His eyes looked back and found the two girls still far away from him. Eren sighed. His phone suddenly vibrated. He picked it up and glanced at a new text message from Captain Levi.

 _"hey girl so i heard u can clean?"_

Eren stared blankly at his screen, then began typing. _"what?"_

 _"sorry wrong contact. whats up jaeger"_

 _"sir, we are still out in the city. i think we're almost at the park."_

 _"good work brat. whats the status on ur teammates. they havent responded yet"_

 _"annie and mikasa are fine. they just keep staying behind me though and keep staring at each other."_

 _"that sounds hot af. send me pics"_

 _"huh?"_

 _"jk. once ur at the park u can take it from there. u know the drill. the mission shouldnt take long if u all work together"_

 _"sir, yes, sir!"_

Eren closed his phone and put it back in his pocket. He looked back at Mikasa and Annie. _It looks really intense back there. They must be focused on the mission, maybe discussing tactics. I wonder what they're talking about._

Mikasa narrowed her eyes at Annie. "You better not interfere with our mission, you big-nosed witch."

Annie scoffed. "Mission? Give me a break, you overly-emotional goofball. From what I can tell, you're treating this more as a date."

"I already told you... there is nothing between me and Eren!"

"Is that so? That implies that you won't mind what I'm about to do next." Annie turned her attention towards the front. "Hey, Eren! Do you want to go out with me after this mission?" she called out.

"What kind of a question is that? We're already outside, Annie," Eren called back.

Annie's eye twitched in disbelief. Mikasa grabbed Annie's shirt and raised her hand, ready to slap her.

Annie made no change in expression. "Would you look at that. You're rushing to claim Eren for yourself. How cute."

"I'm only protecting him from bad influences like you."

"Perhaps you should try thinking before making a decision. Look at yourself, then predict what Eren would think when he sees you. You, threatening to attack me in a public space. He'll think you're just one big, violent bully trying to harm his friend."

Mikasa, gritting her teeth, let her go. Annie brushed off her shirt. "Just remember. I'm the one who convinced Eren to apologize to you, so logically, you should be thanking me. I told him what you think about him."

"Y-you did?"

Annie nodded. Mikasa stayed silent. Soon, they caught up with Eren, who had stopped at the park's entrance, a gap between short brick walls. The trio stood on the cobbled stone pathway leading into the park.

Eren stepped forward, stopped, and turned around to face Annie and Mikasa, who stood side-by-side. He placed his hands on his back, straightened his posture, and cleared his throat as if to resemble a military drill instructor.

"All right, ladies, listen up!" He marched back and forth in front of the two girls while fiddling with his scarf. "We are about to enter the mission grounds. As I am the leader of this squad, you shall refer to me as Lieutenant Eren! You soldiers will be each called Private. Do I make myself clear?!" Eren saluted.

Mikasa stared at Eren playing army. She smiled. _Eren's cute when he acts tough... no, I mustn't think of this!_ She shook her head, but could not shake her thoughts.

"I **said** do I make myself clear?! That means I'm talking to you, Private Mikasa! Why is your face all red, soldier?"

Mikasa blinked, realizing she forgot to respond. "Lieutenant Eren, I... I was cold, sir!"

" _Cold_? Why didn't you say so, Private?! A good leader always cares about the well-being of his troops!" Eren approached Mikasa and wrapped his scarf around her. "If you ever need anything, just inform your superior!"

"Understood, sir." Of course, this only made Mikasa's face even redder. She tried obscuring her face with the cloak's hood as well as the scarf.

Annie raised her hand. "I have a question, Lieutenant Eren."

"What is it, Private Annie?"

"Which one of us do you think is a better soldier? Me, or Private Mikasa?" Upon hearing this question, Mikasa turned towards Annie in annoyance.

"... good question. I'll think about it on our way there. Let's move out!"

Eren ran off along the path, leaving his two soldiers behind. As soon as she was sure Eren could not see them, Mikasa leaned in threateningly on Annie.

"Why would you ask Eren that?"

"Simple. I wanted to play along with 'Lieutenant' Eren.. He's a determined one, and he acts with emotion, like you. You two are _made_ for each other." She pointed at Mikasa's new scarf.

"I told you to stop mentioning that!"

"For one who claims she is indifferent about the topic, you seem rather defensive about it. It appears all of your logical reasoning is thrown out the window when Eren is involved, hm?"

"Eren's my friend..."

"I never brought that up, but you did so anyways. Allow me to clarify it for you, you addlepate. Eren was not pretending when he decided to give you his scarf. I reckon he actually likes you."

Mikasa rolled her eyes. "He was only being friendly."

"Friendly because it's you. If you're such in denial, then perhaps I should go over and start cuddling with him."

"No!"

"Exactly. You lack the courage to admit your emotions. For that, I pity you, since I see potential. I should teach you how to unlock that potential one day, perhaps in a girl talk."

"What's a girl talk?"

"How amusing. You're just as oblivious as your boyfriend. I _should_ teach you."

Mikasa growled. Annie grinned in return.

* * *

Eren stepped off the path and ran onto the grassy portion of the park. He stopped just before a large tree. "This must be it!" said he. A tiny flag of the Survey Club was impaled into the ground near the tree, indicating its status as a mission objective. An old woman stood underneath the tree in its shade, patiently waiting for help. Her eyes met Eren's and she then rejoiced.

She approached Eren. "Ah, is that you? Are you who the Recon Club sent?"

Eren nodded. "That's right, ma'am. We're the Survey Club, and we're here to rescue your cat!"

"Oh, thank goodness! They sent a youthful young man to save poor Mr. Sprinklecouch. I was worried sick."

"No problem, this is our job! Wait... my teammates?!" Eren turned around and found that Annie and Mikasa were absent. He scratched his head. "Well, lady, my lazy butt teammates are still behind somewhere. But no worries, I bet I can do this by myself."

"Be careful, dear! I don't know where exactly Mr. Sprinklecouch is, but he is for sure in those branches up there!"

Eren walked over underneath the tree and glanced upward, trying to locate the cat. The old lady stepped next to him. "Mr. Sprinklecouch has orange fur, cute little ears, wonderful green eyes, and such a pretty tail."

"Thanks, ma'am. You got a ladder?"

"I'm afraid not, dear. I was hoping the Recon Club would work their magic and get little Mr. Sprinklecouch back to me."

"Geez... this'll be tough."

At that moment, Annie and Mikasa arrived at the scene, though the latter appeared quite embarrassed.

"There you guys are!" exclaimed Eren, "What took you so long?"

"We encountered some _difficulties_. This is our objective?" asked Annie.

Eren pointed at the top of the tree. "The cat's supposed to be up there. But I dunno how to get up."

Mikasa tugged on Eren's sleeve. "I can hold you up, Eren, then you can reach the cat from my arms."

"That's a stupid suggestion," interrupted Annie, stepping between the two, "I can climb up there and retrieve it. You two aren't nearly as tall enough to even make it to the branches. Allow me, Eren."

She walked backwards for momentum, then sprinted towards the tree. Just before making contact with it, Annie leaped and grabbed onto some branches. With swift movements, she began maneuvering about the treetop. Eren and the old woman looked in amazement, while Mikasa frowned.

Mikasa walked to the tree herself. "I can do this quicker than Annie, Eren!" She slammed her fist against the tree's trunk, completely shaking the tree and causing several leaves to fall down. Annie gasped from above, nearly losing her balance. Mikasa's fist appeared unharmed, however.

A cat meowed. Eren ran around the perimeter of the tree with his arms outreached. "I got it, I got it!" Mr. Sprinklecouch fell from the tree, though he landed on Eren's head instead. He began engaging in combat with Eren's hair.

"Ow! Get it off!" Eren ran around with the cat on his head. Sprinklecouch pounced from Eren's hair and onto the grass, running away. Eren gave chase, running after it. "Hey, get back here!"

Mikasa attempted to follow Eren, until Annie jumped down in her path. " _I saw that, idiot_." Annie tackled Mikasa and the two started fighting.

"Let go of me!"

"Get out of my face, you imbecile. You're not going after Eren, not before answering for your mistakes!"

"Eren's mine!"

"You're only interrupting his goals! He's _mine_!"

However, the two stopped themselves whilst on the ground when they realized that a crowd had formed around them and Eren was already long gone. The two awkwardly stood up and walked away.

Annie frowned at Mikasa. "How great. Now he's gone because of you."

"You're the one who chose to fight me, Annie."

"I refuse to argue with you. We've no other choice but to look for Eren."

"Hmph."

The two temporarily settled their conflict in order to look for the boy they had fought over.

* * *

Nighttime already arrived. The park appeared abandoned at night, as all of the pedestrians usually went back home. The lights along the pathways remained lit. Mikasa and Annie sat at one of the benches next to a lamppost, facing away from each other. Annie's elbow rested on an arm of the bench, her fist leaning on her cheek. Mikasa sat on the other end of the bench, drumming her lap with her fingers.

Crickets around them chirped, but the two girls still had not yet found Eren.

Mikasa sighed. "I'm sorry, Annie."

Annie raised her eyebrow, despite not being seen by Mikasa. "You're apologizing for _what_?"

"I'm sorry for everything I have done today."

"Oh?"

"I've only been selfish and rude to you. When I hit that tree, I really only wanted to hinder you and impress Eren. It was out of greed... I'm sorry."

"That's interesting. I didn't think you'd be one to apologize, Mikasa."

"Eren taught me... to be kind."

Annie placed her hand on the bench. "I reckon I should apologize as well. I toyed with your emotions, causing you to lose control of yourself."

"..."

"I saw that you continued hiding your emotions (albeit poorly), but I tried exploiting that. Why? Because it's _funny_. I'd say I went too far."

"You did. You got on my nerves, Annie."

"I ask of you to not assume that I'm a cruel woman. I know what it's like... for one to be unsure of her feelings. You sometimes become irrational when your heart is provoked. I understand... I've felt it before."

A breeze fell over them. Mikasa's eyes narrowed. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"I didn't intend to harm your feelings. I was too caught up in the entertainment I enjoyed getting out of you. I apologize if you took offense to any of my comments, which you clearly did. It hurts to have your emotions played with and mocked."

Annie sighed and continued. "I was once in a position like your's. Years ago, when I was simply happy and surrounded by those I loved. I was a young, dumb girl. When I see you, I see my past self, from a better time. How I wish to remedy that past..."

"I didn't feel much happiness, either, before I came here, before I met all my new friends."

"I know that. Eren told me."

"He did?!" Mikasa reddened.

"Anyways. I don't want you to go down the path I've gone. You and I, we're definitely not normal girls, I can tell you that much. You remind me of myself. I carry the burden of many past mistakes and regrets, but you shouldn't. You _need_ someone like Eren, who can support you when you need it. Do you remember when I said I would teach you? I was not joking."

"Didn't you tell me to discover some potential?"

"Correct. Encountering someone you like is not difficult. But getting with that someone is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I pity you, Mikasa, because unrequited love hurts. I know the pain myself. Perhaps I'll find that one day, but for you, it's within your grasp."

"Love?!"

"Still in denial? Go ahead, but heed my words. It's too obvious what you feel, even if you attempt to hide them. You're still wearing that scarf Eren gave you."

Mikasa turned to face Annie whilst pinching her scarf. "I... I only want to be with Eren. He's shown me kindness from the beginning, and I want to repay him."

Annie faced Mikasa and smiled. "Is that all? You remind me of an infant taking its first step. No offense. Listen, you should know that I'm no threat in your pursuit of that _someone_. Eren's only my associate at this point, assisting me with _my_ goal. However, know this... I can help you to reach _your_ goal."

"Why would you help me... if I've never helped you at all?"

"You can thank Eren Jaeger for that one, too. He's a buffoon, but also an inspirational buffoon... I told you before, I see myself in you, and it annoys me to see you like this, so close to being fully happy."

"I didn't think- I didn't know you were so kind, Annie. Thank you."

"Don't be deceived by appearance. I may look cold, and I probably am cold, but I still retain an ounce of warmth." She held her palm out. "Let us resolve this conflict. I do not wish to create new enemies, not right now, especially over a misunderstanding such as this."

Mikasa reached and shook Annie's hand. The blonde girl scoffed. "How amusing. I already had a discussion like this recently with Eren. Now I have to do the same for you, acting as your guide. Why am I having these same long lectures with both of you? It's like I'm the only sane or logical character in this story. It's no coincidence that you and Eren are alike. You two really _are_ meant to be together."

"Stop. I didn't say you could still talk about that." Mikasa teased with a grin.

"Very well. Make sure you take care of Eren. He is still my ally, as well as your... friend."

Suddenly, some footsteps rang out. The two girls turned their attention to their right, and saw a lone silhouette walking towards them on the path. As it stepped closer into the light, it revealed to be Eren. His Survey Club cloak appeared ripped, and he was covered in scratch marks and broken tree branches. He dragged his feet, though he did not stop to greet his two teammates.

"Eren!" exclaimed Mikasa, running up to her friend. Annie calmly approached and joined them as they walked.

Eren looked back-and-forth between the two, then groaned. "Mission accomplished... just by me. I got her the cat... after _so many_ _hours_. What's with you guys? I- I'm too tired to even shout right now..."

"We're both sorry, Eren," said Mikasa, "We were being bad teammates. You shouldn't be walking in this condition. Let me carry you."

"What am I, a baby? Hey, let go of me!"

Eren waved his arms around, but to no avail. Mikasa lifted Eren and carried him in her arms. "Let's go home, Eren. Say goodbye to Annie."

"Yeah... bye, Annie. Geez, you're embarrassing me, Mikasa. I can walk, you know! I can't believe I missed dinner again, 'cause I'm hungry!"

The two walked away into the night as Eren's ramblings trailed off. Annie waved after them. Mikasa turned her head around to face Annie. The two nodded to each other in trust.


	10. Assembly

After the surprisingly lengthy cat rescue mission of yesterday, Eren and his friends went back to school as usual the morning afterward. Eren sat down in his homeroom, patiently waiting for the morning bell to ring. The students around him stood around, talking to each other. However, his friend Mikasa happened to be sitting next to him.

"Oi, Mikasa, why're you in such a good mood today?" he asked whilst Mikasa cheerfully smiled at him.

"I'm happy to be by your side, Eren."

"Happy? I thought you're always happy with me."

She shook her head and twiddled her fingers. "That's true... but now, I feel at peace."

"At peace with what? What gives?"

"I cleared some misunderstandings, that's all."

"... right. You're always saying some nonsense, Mikasa. Yesterday, you were all violent, and today, you're all excited for some reason."

A familiar horseface suddenly walked in front of Eren's desk and slammed his hands on it, interrupting their conversation.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my old buddy Eren!" greeted Jean, sarcastically. His eye twitched and his teeth clenched.

"Hiya, Jean. What's up?"

" _What's up_?! Did you seriously ask me that?"

Eren nodded.

"Hmph. That's no way to be talking to such a dashing fellow as myself."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Do I have to explain everything to you, Jaeger?! I'll have you know that I'm quite a talented man."

"That's great, Jean! What're you talented in?"

"Oh, you know... _everything_. I'm so strong, so charming, so precise, so chic." Jean glanced at Mikasa and winked. The girl blinked back, confused.

Jean sighed. "All righty, Jaeger boy. Let me give you a piece of advice from the professional himself..." He cleared his throat and adjusted his shirt. "The more popular you are, the more girls that will swoon over you. I'm a popular guy, for instance, and you can see all the harems of women just falling for me."

"I don't see any women, Jean. Where?" Eren placed the side of his hand on his head and looked around the room.

Jean gritted his teeth and grabbed Eren by his collar. "Stop toying with me! You act all cool and mighty, and somehow, you don't even realize how lucky you are, Eren! Gah, why does _she_ go over to _you_ instead of _me_?!"

"Uh, I dunno what you're talking about! Who's _she_?!"

Mikasa slapped Jean and threw him back onto his own chair. "Please don't touch Eren without his consent." Jean rubbed his cheek, and seeing Mikasa, his eyes sparkled. _She... talked to me!_ he thought to himself. He went into a trance.

The bell rang. "Okay, boys and girls," called Mr. Krause, their homeroom teacher, "Class is about to begin. Please sit in your assigned seats."

The students all settled down and the room quieted. Krause took his clipboard and stood, taking the attendance of the students present. Jean glared at Eren, who sat in front of him. He grabbed his eraser and was about to chuck it at Eren's head when the teacher made another announcement.

"Today's class will be interrupted. We're going to have a special introduction assembly in a few minutes by the head faculty of this school. When the announcements come on to say we're heading out, I want everyone to stand up, push in their chairs, and leave the room quietly. You don't need to bring anything with you. All right?"

 _An assembly, huh?_ Eren glanced at the window and saw that crowds of students already began pouring out of the building and heading towards a large stadium in the distance. The PA box in the corner of the ceiling suddenly blared out in a mechanical voice, "Block 4A-3, please proceed to the assembly."

The students in their class filed out of the room and downstairs, where they made it into the central courtyard. By that point, large waves of students appeared out of the other buildings and converged into one single line down the pathway. Eren stuck together with Armin, Mikasa, and Reiner as they pushed through the masses.

"Wow, guys, it looks like they're getting everyone from the school to go there!" exclaimed Armin.

"Totes. But this is gonna be boring, man, I swear. I hate assemblies!" Reiner replied.

Eren rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Reiner, it's not like middle school anymore. Check out that big arena we're going towards, it's so _huge_! It's definitely better than going to some auditorium, right?"

"That's true... Yo, Eren. Lookie there. It's our best pal Bert!" Reiner ran a few meters ahead and threw his arm on Bert's shoulder, startling the tall boy. The others caught up and found that Bert walked alongside Annie and Mina.

"Oh, hey, Annie!" Eren greeted, coming up on Annie's left.

Annie glanced at Eren, then glanced back forward. "Eren."

Mikasa came up on Annie's right. "Annie."

Annie nodded back at her. "Mikasa."

Mina leaned in front of the three and shouted, "Mina!"

"Are you guys excited for the assembly? I know I am!" Armin said.

"What, really? Me, too, Armin!" Eren jumped in the air and high-fived Armin. "Yeah!"

"Keep your celebrations till after the end of it," interrupted Annie, "We have yet to see what this assembly has in store for us. However... I, too, am anxious to see what will happen."

"Huh? It's just an introduction, Annie. It's not like it's anything important, right? They'll probably just give us handbooks and explain the rules, then it's all over."

"Supposedly. Keep in mind that this school is rather... mm, dodgy. I'll have to wait and see."

Bert suddenly appeared next to Annie, towering over her. "H-h-hi, Annie... um... Can I s-s-sit next to y-you during the assem- assembly?" He started sweating.

Annie shot a sudden glance at Bert, staring straight into his eyes. She blinked innocently. "... _yes_."

Bert's entire face turned red, and he started babbling nonsense that somewhat resembled the word "thanks" before fainting. Reiner chuckled and carried Bert on his shoulder.

* * *

The stadium resembled a typical sports arena, capable of hosting thousands of people at once. Several large television screens were located in various positions around the stadium, some of them between the hundreds of rows of seats. All of these surrounded a large area in the center.

Armin, Mikasa, and Eren took their seats at a high position in the stadium. Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie seated themselves a few rows behind them. Around them, thousands of other students were sat, chattering away before the actual ceremony began.

It was then that the middle of the stadium began lowering into the ground. The crowd quickly ceased talking amongst themselves and stared at the changing scenery before them. The ground came back up, this time as a rectangular concrete stage with people standing on it. with one man positioned at the absolute center, facing a microphone. Three men dressed in military-like dress uniforms stood behind him on his right, and one older gentleman stood next to him on his left, wearing the same uniform, except adorned with several medals. The rest of the adults wore simple black business suits.

Further away from the adults was a circle of five cryptic figures dressed in maroon cloaks and black conical hats that obscured their faces. However, something appeared wrong.

"Oi, guys," whispered Eren. "Look at the two of those guys on the stage. They look funny."

Eren pointed to two of the figures on the stage. One was in the trio of men standing behind the main speaker, and the other was in the circle of maroon-draped figures. Both of them appeared to be holograms. Their images were dark and transparent, except for their eyes, and they refracted an array of spectral colors, much like a rainbow.

The screens around the stadium cut to a closer view of the young man with the microphone. His hair was jet black and slicked back, and he wore a monocle.

" **Welcome!** " he spoke into the mic. " **To Sina Academy!** "

The crowd looked at him, expecting the man to speak further. He adjusted his monocle. "For those of you wondering who I am, my name is Akira Nyitrai, and I'm the new principal for this school year."

Akira looked around the stadium, analyzing the many faces of the students. "I welcome all returning students, as well as the freshmen who are newcomers to this fine establishment. I hope you've all had a wonderful summer vacation. I, for one, am quite excited, for this is my first time here. Sina Academy truly is a remarkable place."

Akira held up a student handbook. "We will begin this assembly by going over the standard policies and procedures of Sina Academy, which are covered in the student handbooks. Your student handbooks are located under your seats. If you are in need of one, raise your hand and you will receive one shortly."

Throughout the stadium, the sound of shuffling papers echoed. Eren picked up his handbook and examined it. It had a plain white cover, with a red Lady Sina stamp in the center, and below it, in bold words, **SINA ACADEMY STUDENT HANDBOOK**. Eren nearly opened it when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Take a good look, Eren," whispered Annie. She suddenly appeared crouching behind Eren's seat, leaning to the side of his face. "Do you see those people on the stage? Who do you think is your enemy?"

"Annie?! How did you get here?! You're going to get us in trouble if they catch you out of your seat, you know!"

"I am fully aware of the risks. I wished to hear your insight on this reading." She held up her copy of the handbook. "I already read through it. The rules listed in here are similar to those of other schools. However..."

She looked around, checking to make sure no guard saw her. "Its overall tone feels rather peculiar. You don't even have to read the book to understand who we're dealing with. Simply listen to that principal as he goes over this material, and you'll see."

Mikasa leaned over so that she and Annie faced. "What're you saying to Eren? Stop getting so close to him."

Annie rolled her eyes. "And here I thought you were willing to be civil and cooperative. Tsk, tsk."

"Yes, but you're still interrupting Eren's privacy."

"Uh, guys?" Eren interrupted, as the two girls leaned over him. "Both of you are getting too close. We're causing a scene!"

"I apologize, Eren. But don't worry, when you two are alone, Mikasa's going to get _even closer_."

Annie smirked and stepped away before Mikasa could strike at her. The conflict settled down, but at that point, the principal was already finished.

"Now that we have covered the basic guidelines of this academy, let us move on to our goals for this school and the future of its students," Akira announced. "We here at Sina Academy offer some of the best classes in this country. We strive for profound academic performance from our alumni. We will teach every single one of you skills essential to living. Not only that, but we will also teach you core values and principles that you should hold true even in everyday life."

He balled his hands into fists. "You will learn discipline. In this academy, you will learn the meaning of obedience. You will become loyal to your superiors, you will fight for their will. No longer will you be barbaric pigs in human clothing. You will learn your purpose: to serve this great establishment. We will turn you into faithful soldiers in this noble cause. You will strive for success and rid the evil and decadence from your hearts. Failure is not an option. We will **triumph!** "

He raised his fist in the air, and simultaneously, the crowd began clapping.

He adjusted his monocle. "Now then. Let us introduce my proud associates standing next to me."

The older gentleman next to him stepped forward. The television screens zoomed in on his face. He wore glasses and a thick gray beard. "I am Superintendent Darius Zackly. I oversee every academic institution within this region. I am in direct command of every branch that serves here."

The television screens cut to the trio of men (including the holographic man). The first in line, a bald man with a distinguished mustache, drank from a flask and wiped his mouth. "Why, hello there. I'm Chairman Dot Pixis and I lead the Vanguard. We look over the maintenance of schools and ensure their up-keeping."

The second, sporting a goatee, saluted. "My name is Nile Dok, Chairman and Commander of the Volunteer Police. I maintain order, control, and safety throughout the schools, as well as the protection of valued individuals, objects, and locations."

The third one's image flickered as he straightened his posture. He resembled a featureless silhouette, and the only distinguishable feature from his figure were his calm blue eyes. When he spoke, his voice sounded static and electronically resonant, as though it was being transmitted through a walkie-talkie.

"I am Chairman Erwin Smith. I command the Survey Club in order to assist the community and the members of this society as a whole. I thoroughly apologize for not being present here, for I had run into serious complications recently and could not make it."

 _Whoa... that guy commands the Survey Club?!_ Eren thought to himself.

Akira nodded and faced the circle of maroon-clad figures. "These proud students are the top officials of our Student Council."

He checked his pocket watch. "This assembly has almost come to an end. Without any further announcements, we will be dismissing you shortly."

"Hold your horses!" interrupted Pixis. He clumsily walked up to the microphone and leaned on it, hiccuping. "I'd to make an announcement."

"Very well, sir." Akira stepped back.

"Now... _hic_. Is there an _Eren Jaeger_ in this crowd?"

Eren shuddered and paled in shock. The people sitting around him glanced at Eren, especially Mikasa, who looked just as worried. Eren breathed deeply before standing up and raising his hand.

Pixis licked the mouth of his flask. "I'd like Eren Jaeger to come to the stage."

Eren, trembling, walked down the aisle. His eyes met Mikasa's and his friends'. A guard nearby directed him to an elevator, which he took to get to the stadium grounds. Eren stepped out of the elevator and found himself approaching the center of the arena, where he felt thousands of eyes carefully watching him.

A breeze whistled. Eren's heart pounded as he walked up to Pixis. The man glanced at Eren and stared at him for several seconds, as if analyzing him.

"So... what's your name, sonny?" asked Pixis.

"Uh... you called me up here, sir. You asked for Eren Jaeger. I'm Eren Jaeger."

"Oh, that's right. How silly of me. I made a folly there!" He broke into hearty laughter and took another sip from his flask. Upon closer inspection, Eren realized that Pixis was drinking alcohol. His cheeks were flushed, an indicator of intoxication.

Pixis cleared his throat. "You're the one who rescued my wife's cat, yes?"

"Your wife's cat? You mean, the one I rescued yesterday from the park? Yes, sir, I did! I am honored to have brought back your pet, sir!"

"Actually, I didn't want that lousy cat back. I hated it. I let that devilish fiend run off and let my wife go get it. I hated my wife, too. I needed her away from the home so I'd finally have alone time. Now you brought them both back to torture me."

"Um. In that case, sorry, sir."

"Ha, don't be sorry! I'm glad that you gave it your effort. It's the thought that counts, after all. Young'uns have no respect, but at least there's some youth with talent, like you... or my mistress. Please, tell me your name."

"Eren Jaeger. I just told you, sir."

Pixis turned to face the crowd. "I'd like to present a fine young lad today. This is Eren Jaeger! Some of you won't know who he is, and that's fine, I'll say what he did. _hic_ He was a good boy. A good boy indeed. He's done his duties. He's helped rescue the disgusting demon my wife calls a pet. What a hero. Unlike the lazy scumbags I'm looking at right now. _hic_ It warms my heart to see kids these days with true kind spirit. Please give a round of applause for... erm..."

Eren sighed. "Eren Jaeger."

"That's right! Eren Jaeger!"

The screens zoomed in on Eren's face. The crowd cheered and applauded with much spirit, especially from Armin and Mikasa.

Pixis smiled at Eren. "Would you like to say any closing words, lad?"

"S-sure, I guess." Eren gulped. Pixis stepped aside from the microphone, allowing Eren a chance in the limelight.

Eren looked around nervously. He breathed in and out to calm his nerves. He finally mustered the resolve to speak. "I am Eren Jaeger... and I vow to help anyone in need. I promise to assist others and show kindness to all. I vow to proudly serve the Survey Club! Whatever it takes, I will accomplish my duty!"

Erwin's hologram looked curiously at Eren. Some of the Student Council members whispered among themselves.

"I've helped Mr. Pixis, although he didn't really want it, and I will try to help even more people. That's my hopes and dreams for my time in this school. To show respect and to earn respect!"

The crowd cheered. Eren held his fist to his heart. "All of this, I couldn't have done without my closest and best friend, who's been with me through thick and thin..."

Mikasa held her breath.

"Armin!"

Armin stood up and waved excitedly. Mikasa breathed out softly.

"I also couldn't have done it without my family, my friends, Mr. Hardy who sells ice cream down the street, my teachers, my grandparents, that weird guy with the overalls, and so many more people I can't even name."

Eren paused and smiled. "But most importantly, I couldn't have done it without the person I care for and trust the most, the one who's always protected me, the one I truly admire... Mikasa!"

The screens focused on Mikasa. Her cheeks crimsoned and she tried to hide her face with her scarf, embarrassed. However, there were hearts and a pink tint overlaying her image on the screen. The crowd simultaneously went "aww" and began cheering and whistling.

"Oh, and don't forget Annie! She's also someone I respect and acknowledge!"

The screens then cut to Annie. The screens displayed the shocked Mikasa and the bored Annie side-by-side. People in the crowd went "Huh?" and murmured in confusion. Annie frowned. _I hate attention._

Akira walked back up to the microphone and pulled out his pocket watch. "It seems that's all we have time for today. We will dismiss you back to class. I hope that everyone here feels acquainted to this school."

Eren marched off the stage, proud and dignified. Little did he know that the members of the Student Council stood watching him as he went.


End file.
